The Baron and the Princess
by writer writing
Summary: A fleshed out beginning and ending to the Johnny Cash movie 'The Baron and the Kid'. It's the story of an ex-pool hustler who reunites with his family.
1. Prologue

He could barely hold back his smile. He was ready to sink the 9 ball into the pocket. He looked out and noticed his one-member audience. The attractive blonde winked at him. She would be a nice reward after a well-played game. He had hustled this guy beautifully.

Quite sure of himself he pulled back his stick and struck the cue ball. It was a nearly perfect shot like he knew it would be. The off-white ball hit the 9 and sank it right in. He had won. He didn't have to say a word. He grabbed the 100 dollars sitting on the edge of the pool table and pocketed it.

He watched his opponent's reaction. Usually the men he beat got mad, knowing they'd been played. This man simply looked defeated. It almost gave him a small twinge of guilt. Sometimes his guilt got the better of him but mostly he ignored it. He had to. After a couple of beers and a night with the blonde whose name he didn't know, he'd forget all about the game. After all, it was only a 100 dollars.

He was on his way over to the girl when another girl walked into the bar. She was on a whole other level of attractiveness, and it was immediately obvious she didn't belong. She had medium brown hair and light blue eyes that were almost a clearish color like a reflective pool. She looked distressed and lost.

If he didn't make a move, the poor, unsuspecting girl would get pounced on by all kinds of seedy characters. He was the most upstanding person in this place and that wasn't saying a lot. "Can I help you, ma'am?" he asked.

She looked relieved that there seemed to be a good Samaritan among this den of sinners, and she smiled. He swallowed hard. He'd never seen a prettier, more genuine smile. "It's my car. It broke down, and I need to use a phone."

"Maybe I can take a look at it for you." He silently cursed himself as soon as the words escaped his mouth. The blonde had already taken an interest in someone else. He knew he didn't stand a chance with the brunette in front of him. She was surely not into one-night stands or any stands that didn't come with marriage.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt. It's right outside." There went that beautiful smile again. It was contagious too, as he felt himself smiling back.

"A 1957 Lincoln, not too shabby," he commented outside as he popped the hood.

She shrugged. "I just had some money saved back and decided to spend it on a nice car. I'm not rich or anything."

He chuckled. "It's okay. I'm not going to rob you blind if that's what you're thinking."

"Oh no," she assured him. "I don't think that. I'm really just not that rich. I'm a waitress."

"So you're not married?"

"I don't think that's any of your business, Mr…"

"Addington but please just call me Will."

"Mr. Addington," she finished with a fold of her arms.

He hid a smile as he peered back at the engine. She was spunkier than he had given her credit for.

It was hard to see because it was so dark, but he spotted the problem. It would be a simple matter to fix it. Her spark plugs needed cleaning, but he was debating whether or not to fix it. If he fixed it, she would ride away, and he'd never see her again. He shook his head. There were plenty of other girls in the world, available girls. He cleaned them off as much as he could with his handkerchief. "Okay, check and see if it's working."

She walked over to the driver side and opened the door. She bent over, and he watched her blue skirt lift higher. It figured that she was so shapely. Why did she have to be a goody two-shoes? The engine roared to life, and she shut it back off.

"You fixed it, Mr. Addington," she said, standing back up.

"I fixed it," he agreed, and he started to go back inside.

"Wait, let me pay you," she said.

"Keep your money. I was just doing a nice thing for a pretty lady."

"I would have paid a mechanic. It's only fair I pay you."

He shook his head adamantly and said firmly, "I'm not going to take it."

She smiled again, and he wondered if he'd ever stopped being amazed by that smile. "Then let me treat you to some coffee."

"Now that is a good idea," he said, perhaps a trifle too enthusiastically. He wondered if he had a chance with her after all. "I know a place just down the corner. It has great coffee."

She looked at the bar. She had probably meant going back inside Mike's Place. "Can we walk there?"

"We could walk, but someone will probably jack your car while we're gone."

She sighed and then motioned for him to get in. That further confirmed his suspicion that she didn't do one-night stands because she was leery of strangers, even ones that had helped her out, but he felt a little more hopeful now.

He didn't have to give her any further directions because it was apparent which building it was as there was a cup of coffee on the billboard.

"Are you ever going to tell me your name?" he asked, as they stepped out of the car.

She didn't look eager to share, but she said, "Dee Dee."

He grinned as she still hadn't said what her last name was. "Dee and Dee? That's your whole name? Well, Dee, are you ready to get that coffee?"

sss

"I'll give you the 2 minute autobiography of William Joseph Addington," he told her as he nursed his cup. "I was born in Arkansas. I grew up on a farm with 5 brothers and sisters, left as soon as I was old enough to Nashville. My friend in high school had a pool table, and I got pretty good at it, so I thought I'd try a tournament for some easy money. I didn't win, but I met a guy who thought I wasn't bad at it, and he sets up games for me."

"Hmmm," she remarked in an interested tone as she took a sip of her coffee.

"What about you?" he prodded.

"Nothing much to me. I was born in Virginia. I had a mother and a father. I moved to Tennessee after high school. I waitress."

"You're a woman of few words," he said, taking a drink of his coffee.

"Not really," she smiled. "I just have to get warmed up. So you play pool, huh? I've never played the game myself. Is it hard?"

"You have to work at it. A lot of people think it's just sticks and balls and holes. It looks deceptively easy."

"For instance?" she asked, leaning in to hear better.

That excited him. He'd never met a woman genuinely interested in his pool playing before. She got more and more intriguing by the minute. "Well, you can't let the cue ball, that's the ball you shoot with, go into the hole. It's all about geometry, figuring out the right angles and force to apply. Then there are multiple games you can play eight ball, nine ball, three ball, one pocket. Eight ball is what I play most often.

She had been watching him intensely and looked impressed. "I never knew it was so complicated. I guess I've been taking pool for granted."

He reached across the table and took her hand. His heart skipped a beat when she didn't recoil. It was possible she liked him back. It felt good to hold her hand. It felt right and exciting. He was getting more enjoyment out of just holding her hand than from the dozens of girls he'd been with. "Do you mind dropping me back at my hotel? My friend was actually supposed to have picked me up an hour ago, and he hasn't."

That made her take her hand back. "Your hotel?"

"We travel a lot around Tennessee; my backer and I found it easier to stay in hotels, especially as my income varies."

"I guess I could do that," she said.

He told her where it was, and they were there in no time. She appeared to have no intention of getting out of the car. She stared stiffly ahead as she waited for him to get out. He took a chance and leaned over to kiss her. "Mr. Addington," she said before he was even halfway there.

"Will," he said.

"Will, I don't know what kind of girl you think I am. I like you, but I don't kiss on the first date, and we weren't really on a date. I dated a guy for 3 years and even he was only allowed kisses. The point I'm making is I don't rush into relationships."

He nodded and then stepped out of the car. He watched her white Lincoln drive away until it was out of sight. He had known it was unlikely, even impossible.

He went into the hotel bar for a drink.

"Buy me a drink?" asked a cute redhead, sitting down beside him.

He brought her a drink, 3 drinks in fact. He took her to his room and spent the night with her, but he couldn't stop picturing Dee Dee. She was on his mind, and it appeared that was where she was going to stay.

sss

That afternoon, after Mary or Annie had left (he couldn't remember exactly which it was and didn't really care), he met Beamer, his backer, down in the lobby.

"I've got a high stakes game for you tonight. The jackpot is 500, and I know you can beat this idiot with your eyes closed. Nice of you to leave me sitting in the car waiting for you last night by the way, not surprising though."

His head still hurt from the drinking he had done last night, he only managed a grunt.

"You look like you could use some coffee and maybe a little lunch."

He followed Beamer out to his car. He drove them to a cheap, little diner.

There was music playing in the background and people chattering, hurting his head. A heavy set, middle-aged woman took their order. He looked around the diner scoping out the other waitresses, and that's when he saw the girl from last night, Dee Dee.

She was pouring some lucky guy a cup of coffee. The guy had a great view when she turned around, and he knew it too as he reached over and pinched her butt. Will found rage come bursting forth deep inside of him. It was obvious Dee Dee was mad at the man, but Will was madder.

Before he could think about what he was doing, he'd made his way over to the table, stood the guy up by his shirt, and slugged him. "You need to learn some manners," he told the stunned man.

"Will?" Dee Dee said, surprised to see him, and then she looked over at the man who was now leaving the diner, but it quickly disappeared. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I'd do it again," he stated bravely. He could tell that despite her protest she had liked his protection. "What table do we have to move to for you to wait on us?"

She laughed and pointed to an empty table. He went back over and told the other waitress, "We want another table. One with a better view." He motioned for Beamer to follow him.

Beamer shook his head. "I have to hand it to you, you work fast. I'm not trying to play big brother here, but don't bring her to the game. You always shoot lousier with a woman you're interested in watching."

"I do not," he said, "and you're right, you're not my brother."

He shrugged. "Whatever. Just keep playing. That's all I ask."

They sat down at the new table, and Dee Dee came over to them. "What would you like?"

"A cheese and tomato sandwich," Beamer said.

"Just coffee for me," Will said.

She put her free hand on her hip. "I know you had 'just coffee' last night. Have you had anything to eat since then?"

"No," he answered honestly, "but—"

"No buts. I'm bringing you a hamburger," she said, marking it on her pad and walking back behind the counter.

Beamer laughed. "So she's the girl from last night. She has you whipped. That's what you get when—"

"Nobody asked you," he said, "and for your information, she's not the girl from last night. I fixed her car, we got coffee, and she gave me a ride back to the hotel. That's all. She's not that kind of girl."

"And you would know because you tried, right? So that's what it is. You can't have her, so you want her all the more."

"Would you shut up?" he snarled.

Dee Dee came back with their coffee cups and filled them up. Will watched her in fascination as she scuttled around the place with energy and a good humor.

Beamer laughed. "I think you just found yourself your new favorite place to eat."

Will just looked at him darkly. After they finished their sandwiches and a couple of coffee cups later, she came back to their table. "Another cup?"

He wanted to say yes, but he had to say no. He'd bust if he had another cup. Beamer had paid for the meal, but he had stashed a 50 under his coffee cup for her. She was right in that it didn't appear she made very much. "You know I have a—"

"No," whispered Beamer.

"A pool game tonight. Maybe you'd like to come see it. To see how it's played since you were interested and all."

"I'd like that," she answered.

"It's at the Billiard Blues. It's classier than Mike's Place. You'll be safe there."

"I know the place. What time?"

"6:00," Beamer answered in defeat.

"I'll be there."

Will smiled and almost hit into the wall as he was walking out but moved just in time.

Dee Dee laughed and waved and then went back to work. She wasn't stupid. She could tell that he was a little rough around the edges, but she could also see the lost, little boy who needed someone to take care of him and love him. She knew he had the potential to be a great man with some help and more than that she knew she was falling in love with him. He was smart, protective, and sweet. She looked upward. She was falling in love with exactly the kind of guy she shouldn't fall in love with. "God, have mercy on me."

sss

He smiled when he saw her come in. She hadn't been lying about coming, but then she wasn't the lying kind. He'd already taken a couple of shots, but they'd been weak. Beamer was looking nervous. He took another shot, a risky one. Beamer had put his hands over his eyes, especially when he saw Dee Dee, but he sank the shot. Beamer was surprised. He checked to make sure Dee Dee was still there and she was. He was kind of surprised too. Beamer hadn't been wrong. His games usually suffered with a girl around or with one on his mind, but Dee Dee was different from other girls.

She gave him an encouraging smile when he looked at her again. It helped that she was truly interested in him winning the game rather than sleeping with him when it was over. That was a major difference. He won the game. Dee Dee clapped for him, and when he went over to her, she gave him a hug. He wondered if she had any idea just how much she was affecting him.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were good," she praised him. "I bet you could play professionally."

He felt himself blush and then he blushed harder when he realized he was blushing. "I don't think I've ever played that good. You're my good luck charm."

"Stanley."

"What?" he asked.

"I figured you ought to know your good luck charm's last name, and I don't have a middle name."

"Well, Dee Dee Stanley, how about we have dinner to celebrate?"

"Oh, I'd like to, but I'm working another shift tonight. This is actually my dinner break, and it's about over but maybe tomorrow night. We never did get to have that first date."

He was speechless. She kept smiling and said, "I'll pick you up at your hotel at 5:30 tomorrow if that's alright."

"That's alright," he answered quickly.

She left, and Beamer came up to him and counted the wad of cash he'd won. "I like this one, Will. May she never give into your advances, and we'll make a fortune."

Will barely heard him. His mind was still happily spinning. A girl with curly, light brown hair approached him, and he noticed her. "Want to come to my place?" she said, getting straight to the point.

A couple of days ago, he would have smiled and followed her out the door without a second thought. This time he paused. He knew Dee Dee would probably dump him if she found out, but she wouldn't. It's not like he was married to her anyway. They hadn't even started dating yet. The 5 seconds of thought made him wonder though. He followed the girl out.

sss

Will rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 5:15 p.m. He was horrified. He had slept the day away, and he had 15 minutes to get to the hotel where Dee Dee was picking him up for their date. He swore as he put on his clothes. He couldn't be late for their date. Why had he slept so late on today of all days? He didn't have a car of his own. He relied on Beamer's car. The girl had driven him here. He woke her up. "I need to use your car."

She groaned and rolled over. "Forget it, and I'm not getting up."

He swore again and ran out the door. He'd run there if he had to. He wasn't going to miss it. It wasn't as far as he thought, but he didn't get to the hotel until 6:37. He didn't bother to look around the parking lot for her car. There was no way she was going to wait for him for over an hour, but when he got in the lobby, he saw her stand up. "It's about time you got here."

He was surprised, "You waited on me, but—but—"

"Well, for a moment I thought you might have stood me up and then I thought about how eager you've been to date me and I knew you must have been held up somewhere to miss our date, so I waited. Of course, I was starting to worry. I was afraid something might have happened to you."

He smiled. "I'm fine, and it won't happen again." Just when he thought he couldn't like her more, he was wrong. Not many girls would have waited.

They went on their date. He started to order wine with their dinner, and she cleared her throat. He took the hint. She didn't drink and probably didn't approve of others drinking. He ordered grape juice instead. The date didn't go badly. They never ran out of conversation. It turned out they liked the same movies and books. At the end of the date, all he got was a hug, but it still sent his heart racing, and he also got another date.

They set up another date for Wednesday and then after the Wednesday date, they set up a Thursday date. He didn't think he'd ever dated a girl this long before or at least had been interested this long before. He hadn't been with a girl since Monday night either.

After the Thursday date, he began thinking about where it was going. Was he going to stop after he got a kiss from her? Was he going to try for more? Could he get more? What if he got more he asked himself. Then what? He realized he never wanted to stop seeing her. He wanted her there watching him play his pool games. He wanted to live with her day after day. He wanted her, and there was only one way to get her. He realized he was in love. That surprised him all over. He'd never been in love. He'd never come close to the M word. He'd pictured himself living his life out as a bachelor. He already got the marriage benefits. He'd never thought he would want to spend his life with one woman, a moral woman, but he wasn't afraid of marriage, not with Dee Dee. The only questions left was would she marry him and how long would it take before she would even consider a proposal?

On their Friday night date, he asked her to marry him. He didn't make any bones about it. He got up from his booth across from hers and sat down beside her, took her hand, and just asked her, "Dee, will you marry me?"

"Yes," she responded. She hadn't even thought about it.

He wasn't sure he had heard right. "Yes?"

"Yes, I love you. I thought you knew that if you felt confident enough to ask, or were you just joking?" she asked with a worried look.

"No, I love you too, Dee."

She laughed. "That's good then if we're going to get married. We probably should have worked that out first."

"When?" he asked eagerly.

"I don't know," she said, still smiling.

"How about tomorrow?"

She laughed. "Tomorrow? I have to work tomorrow."

"You can quit your job now."

"I'd have to get a dress, and we'd have to figure out where to get married and—"

"How about Sunday then? We can use Saturday to make the arrangements. You can find a dress easily enough, and I know where I can go to get us a license. Why should we wait, Dee? We're in love, and that's all that really matters. The rest is just details."

"I must be crazy. I've never done anything this impulsive, but let's get married on Sunday."

He hugged her excitedly. Then he pulled back. "Am I allowed to kiss you now?"

She laughed, "Yes, now we can kiss."

They did, and he'd never had a better kiss in his life. It was all the movies and books lead you to believe: fireworks, bells, everything and more. He knew he was making the right decision.

sss

He went to the jewelry shop right after their date to get her a wedding ring. He spent over an hour in the shop trying to decide on the right ring for her, one that was Dee Dee, but they were all too ordinary. He needed a unique ring for a unique girl. He told the jeweler that and the jeweler said he could get one made special by Sunday for the right price, so he did, and he spent more money than he should have, but she was worth it.

They got married on Sunday at 1:00 in the afternoon. It was just the two of them and the obligatory witnesses. It happened in a blissful blur. The only thing he could remember was how beautiful she looked with the flowers in her hair.

After the ceremony, she asked him where they were going for the honeymoon. He pulled out a wad of cash that he'd won recently and said, "Honey, we're going to New Orleans."

"New Orleans," she said excitedly. "I've always wanted to go there. I hear the bands and food they have down there are amazing."

"We'll do it all," he said.

They got in her car and started for the airport. They hadn't gotten far at all when their car broke down.

"What is it with your car?" he asked impatiently. He checked under the hood, and it starting raining pretty hard. She got outside with him. "You should wait in the car," he told her. "You're getting all wet."

She shook her head and hollered back, "I won't melt. It's my baby, you know, so what's the diagnosis, doctor?"

He laughed. "It's my baby now too by marriage. This car isn't going to make it to New Orleans, Dee. We're going to have to call a Tow Company."

"Will, you don't think this is some sort of bad omen, do you?"

"There are no such things as bad omens. Listen, I know a place where we can call about the car and get a nice room, but we'll have to walk a ways."

"We're already wet. What's the difference?" she said good naturedly.

A nice middle-aged lady greeted them in the foyer. "What happened to you two?" she asked in a genteel, southern accent. "You look like drowned rats."

Not waiting for their explanation, she left momentarily and came back with towels.

They thanked her. "Our car broke down," Dee Dee explained.

"Our car?" she asked with raised eyebrows at Will. He'd stayed at the boarding house for a couple months, and she'd seen the lifestyle he led and his many girlfriends.

"More her car than mine," Will said. "Sara, this is my wife, Dee Dee Stanley. I mean Addington. Dee Dee Addington."

"We just got married today," Dee Dee said with a laugh.

Emma looked tickled. "Oh, it's about time he settled down and got married," she said going over and hugging the wet couple.

"We were on our way to our honeymoon," Will explained. "I know it's technically a boarding house, but—"

"You don't have to say another word," she said. "I have a room for you, and you don't have to pay a nickel."

Dee Dee started to say something, but she held up her hand. "No, I'm not offering. I'm telling you."

She gave them the key, and they went up to their room.

"Look at all this antique furniture," Dee Dee said in awe. "It's pretty."

"I only see one thing, and she's beautiful," he said, stepping closer.

"We're still sopping wet," she said laughing.

"We won't be for long," he said in a husky tone.

She stopped laughing. "I'm not exactly sure how to go about this."

He smiled. She was so innocent and adorable. "One step at a time," he said, helping her out of her jacket.

sss

They stayed there until Saturday and had a grand time. Their wedding night had been worth the wait. He was on cloud 9, and he swore to himself right then and there that he would never look at another girl or take another drink for Dee Dee's sake.

They decided they were going to live in Dee Dee's apartment, at least when his work didn't take him elsewhere. Will found her bed was comfortable and easy to sleep on, not that he got much chance to test the sleep part out that first night back.

Their first week had been nothing but marital bliss and then the next Sunday, at the apartment, reality began to set in. Dee Dee was an early morning riser. He wasn't, but normally she didn't wake him up.

"Will, it's Sunday."

He smiled groggily. "Our anniversary. We've been married an entire week."

She leaned over and kissed him. "Well, there's that, but I was thinking more along the lines of going to church."

That made him fully alert. "What?"

"The place where you go to worship God, church," she repeated, putting a nice dress on over her slip. "We got married last Sunday, but this Sunday we ought to go to church."

"I hate to tell you this, Dee, but I'm not a church-going man. I didn't get raised in church or anything."

"Neither did I, which makes an even stronger case for why you should go and try it out."

"I wouldn't fit in," he said, not moved by her reasoning.

"Everybody fits in. Church is for everybody."

"Not me. If you want to go, I'm not going to stop you, but don't try to drag me with you."

She looked at him sadly, and he felt guilty. Then he felt indignant. It was his choice after all.

"You do believe in God though, right?" she asked.

He'd never really thought about it. He supposed he had as a child, a lot of children do, along with Santa Claus and the Easter bunny. Then he'd grown up and took to a lifestyle where God didn't seem to be. He wasn't sure what he believed in, but if there was a God, He hadn't done anything for him. When he didn't answer, Dee Dee got sadder, and he could see the pity she had for him. She pulled a Bible out of the drawer beside the bed.

He got worried. "Dee, do you mind being married to a heathen? You're not going to divorce me, are you?"

"It's my fault as much as yours that we're just now finding this out. I should have asked all this before we were married. According to this book in my hand, I can't divorce you for your unbelief. We may be unequally yoked, but we'll make this work," she said, giving him a reassuring hand squeeze.

He smiled in relief and laid back down.

"But give God a chance, Will," she pleaded. "You might find out you're missing something mighty important."

He mumbled an unintelligible answer. He was just fine. He didn't need God and God didn't need him.

sss

On Monday, Beamer came knocking on the door. "I should have looked for you here earlier. Where have you been? We lost out on a week's pay. You're going to have to play double the games."

"I'll make them up. I was going to look for you today. I've been with Dee."

"I can't believe you've gone and corrupted that little girl," he said with a smile. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

"I didn't corrupt her. I married her."

Beamer's mouth dropped open. "You what?"

Dee Dee came up behind Will. "Beamer, right? It's nice to see you again."

"Well, great. Bring her along," he said, "but we've got to get you playing some games."

sss

Dee Dee sipped her coke as she watched him play. He looked up and grinned at her every now and then, and she grinned back. She loved being married to Will. She could tell that he was really trying to be a better person, and it made her love him all the more. He had a long way to go. She didn't approve of his hustling, but she wasn't going to bring that up right away. It was going to take time, and the guys he played shouldn't have been gambling anyway, so there was only so far she could feel sorry for them.

A guy sat down beside her and smiled. "I'm Harley."

"I'm married."

"Nice to meet you, Married," he joked.

She smiled but didn't make eye contact.

"Is your husband in here?"

"Yes, he's playing pool over there."

"That's bad," Harley told her.

"Why?" she asked, a little worried.

"He's playing against a good pool player. His nickname is the Baron. He may not be the king, but he's hard to beat."

"My husband is pretty good himself."

Harley watched the game. "If you say so, ma'am." Dee Dee watched too, a little more anxiously than before.

They played 3 games and then they were done. "I'm sorry," Harley said.

"For what?" she asked. "I admit I'm new to the world of pool, but didn't he win?"

"He lost," Harley told her.

Will strolled over. "You wouldn't be over here flirting with my wife, would you, Harley?"

Harley jumped up. "Your wife! You got married?" He looked at Dee Dee. "You're married to the Baron?"

She looked at Will with amusement flickering in her eyes. "I guess I am."

Will shrugged and explained to her, "It's my nickname. I didn't come up with it. Dee Dee, this is Harley. He's a friend of mine."

"Your wife," Harley repeated. Then he looked at Dee Dee. "Maybe you can convince your husband to stop hustling and enter a tournament where the real money is."

Will shook his head. "You can't make money that way. There are too many people to compete against."

"But you're exceptionally good," Harley said.

"Harley, I just won a thousand. That's good enough for me. Come on, Dee. Let's go out and celebrate."

They got in their car.

"Why don't you, Will?" she asked.

"Why don't I what?" he asked.

"Try a tournament. You're better than the first time you tried it."

"I'm not good enough for you now? You want me to become a fancy gentleman pooler."

"That's not it. I just—"

"You think I'm lying and cheating my opponents?" he finished for her angrily.

She sighed in frustration. "Do what you want. I was just telling you that you're good enough to consider tournaments."

They kept an angry silence for the rest of the night, but they made up again the next day.

sss

The weeks became months and still happily married, Dee Dee hardly ever missed a game. One night, Beamer set them up with a drug dealer. Beamer tried to hint to Will that Dee Dee shouldn't come along, but she did anyway.

Beamer and Dee Dee sat in the corner to watch.

It didn't take long for the drug dealer to see through the scam, and the anger he felt wasn't lost on anyone.

Will looked over at Dee Dee whose anxiousness showed through the way she fiddled and adjusted her clothes.

"I can see the game is about over. What do you say we play another and double the stakes?"

"Tempting, but I've got to make this quick. My wife is not feeling too well tonight, and I want to get her home."

"Ah, the little lady's got you on a tight leash. Well, that's too bad."

"Hardly," he said with his teeth gritted. He knew what the man was trying to do. He recognized that the only way he could win this game was if he irritated him into making a couple bad shots. "One game is plenty."

"I got you. I know when a woman owns a man."

Ignoring the comment for the moment, he drove another ball into the pocket. 2 balls left and the game was his.

"It's a shame that she's holding you back from playing another game though. You could be a very wealthy man without the ball and chain."

He made a final shot that sank both balls. "If it's all the same to you, I'll keep my ball and chain."

The drug dealer threw the cash on the pool table, and Will wasted no time in picking it up. The drug dealer pulled out a gun. "And if it's all the same to you, I'll keep my money."

He illustrated his point by shooting over Will's head, causing Dee Dee to shriek.

Will pocketed the money and blocked Dee Dee with his body as they ran for the car. Beamer took his car in the opposite direction, knowing the drug dealer would be after Will.

Will floored the gas pedal, and they were doing at least 70, but it was clear the drug dealer had the faster car and would plow into them in moments.

Will took the curve and used the opportunity of being momentarily out of sight to pull off the road into the dark, wooded area. The drug dealer's car kept going until a waiting police car about a half mile up the road gave the drug dealer chase. The siren made him did a 180. The car and police car both passed them, and Will waited a few seconds later before pulling back out onto the road.

He let out a hearty laugh. "That was close."

Dee Dee stared at him in disbelief. "That was more than close. I don't like this, Will. Hustling is too dangerous. You're going to hustle the wrong person, someone like that drug dealer, and I'm going to find myself a widow before I have a single gray hair."

"You fret too much, Dee. I know what I'm doing and so does Beamer, but if you think it's too dangerous maybe you should stay home."

"You're trying to tell me that you didn't almost just get killed or seriously injured? What if the car had decided to pick now for one of its famous breakdowns. It's only a miracle of God that it didn't."

"You don't own me," he snapped, thinking back to the drug dealer's words.

"No, I don't," she said tight-lipped. "I don't want to either. I just want you to be safe. Is that too much to ask?"

His anger evaporated. "It's nice to know someone worries about me, but like I told you, I know what I'm doing."

"I certainly hope so," she said.

sss

Dee Dee was sitting on the living room chair alternately tightening and loosening her robe as worry filled her mind. They'd had another argument over the hustling, and Will had gone out without telling her where, but at about 3:00 in the morning, he came stumbling in, drunk.

"You're drunk," she said immediately.

He grinned. "I was feeling exceptionally thirsty."

"I don't find this humorous. You could have told me where you were going. For all I knew, you were lying dead in a ditch somewhere."

"Oh, lighten up, Dee," he said, embracing her in his arms and trying to kiss her, obviously amorous from all the drinking.

"I will not," she said, breaking up from his grasp. "At least tell me that you didn't drive in your condition."

"I made it in one piece, didn't I?"

"Will," she said in frustration. "Sometimes I think you're begging for an early grave."

"Well, you better get used to the drinking because I've found it takes the edge off your constant grating."

She slipped into their bedroom and just as he was about to follow her in through the doorway, she came back out with a pillow and sheet.

"I suppose you expect me to sleep on the couch," he slurred.

"No, you can have the bed. I'll take the couch."

"I don't think so," he said, snatching the bed and pillow from her. "If anybody's going to be sleeping out here, it's going to be me."

"Have it your way," she said, slamming the bedroom door behind her.

sss

It wasn't but a month later when the phone rang early in the morning. Will wasn't home yet. His late night drinking had developed into a habit, and Dee Dee had grown accustomed to it and now went to bed at a normal hour, but she always felt when he crawled into bed beside her and a glance at the clock usually read somewhere between 1:00 to 3:00 in the morning.

"Hello," she answered groggily.

"It's me, Dee."

She sat up and looked at the clock. It read 3:46. "Where in the world are you?"

"I'm in jail, Dee."

"Jail?" she repeated in disbelief. She was wide awake by now.

"Would you just come and get me, please? I'll answer your questions later."

Dee Dee went down to the jail and paid the bail.

"A word of friendly advice, you keep an eye on that husband of yours. He's a troublemaker, and if he's not careful, he's going to be doing more time than just a night," the deputy said to her.

She glared at him and then she got defensive, "He won't, and I suggest instead of dispensing friendly advice, you stick to your job description." She'd have liked to say more, but she didn't want to land herself in jail too.

"You sure shut him up," Will said with a laugh when they got out of the building.

"Laugh it up, Will. Life's just one big joke, isn't it?" she said, trying to stem the tears in her eyes. "I am mortified. I've never had to talk that way to an officer in my life."

"Relax. It won't happen again. I let my temper get in the way when I at the bar, and I hit an officer. How was I to know he had a badge; he wasn't wearing a uniform."

She looked over at him. She wanted to believe his words, but she had heard similar promises a lot over the past month. He won't go drinking tomorrow. He won't drive the car when he was intoxicated. He broke them repeatedly. Something told her it was only the beginning of her trips to see the police.

sss

Dee Dee still attended his games fairly regularly, although now it was more to keep him out of trouble than anything else, and she was practically an expert on pool by now. It wasn't even a few shots before she could tell the way the game was going to go, and she could tell that Will was losing his current game big time, and there was no excuse for it. If he had been sober, Archie, a fellow pool hustler, probably wouldn't have been much of a challenge, but as it stood, Will didn't have a chance.

Dee Dee let out a small gasp when Archie suddenly began doing some crazy shots and was full of confidence as he did it. He put the pool stick behind his back with one hand to take the shot and closed his eyes. It wasn't normal for any pool player unless they were a barfly trying to do a fancy trick to impress his friends or they were a little kid. Archie was neither. She'd also learned enough about the world of pool to realize Archie had been doped.

She looked at Will. He had to have done it. Who else had a motive? He was the one losing, and he was drunk out of his gourd. She watched carefully though when Archie lost, and Will got the money. Will had to know that Archie was doped, and if it had been someone else, she was sure he would give the money back, but he didn't.

Dee Dee drove while Will rambled on and on about the game. She figured she'd better stay quiet on the subject for the sake of peace, but he noticed her angry silence even in his drunken haze. "What's the matter with you?" he asked. "You know how much we needed this money."

"We didn't need it enough to use unethical, immoral methods to get it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't tell me you didn't know Archie got doped."

"Of course, I know. You're not accusing me, are you?" he asked angrily.

"If you didn't do it, why don't you give the money back and play when you're both sober?"

"We need that money, Dee," he growled.

"Then let me go back to work and you won't have to worry so much about the finances."

"I can support my own wife."

Dee Dee didn't say anything else, as she might as well have been arguing to an empty seat, but she was still angry.

sss

Dee Dee smelled the smoke and then she saw that it was coming from under the kitchen door of the pool hall. "Fire!" she yelled.

It was as if she hadn't said a word at all. Everyone was too into their pool games.

She went over to Will. "Will, the kitchen is on fire."

He turned his head and saw the smoke and joined in the alarm.

"Fire, fire!" they shouted, warning all the pool players personally, but the players may as well have been stone-deaf.

The cook stuck his head out the kitchen door. He was sweaty and sooty and panting from exertion. "It's okay, everybody. The flames are under control now."

No one commented one way or the other as he went back into the kitchen.

Dee Dee just shook her head. "You pool players would rather burn up than stop in the middle of a game."

He put his arm around her. "Well, you have to admit, it's an absorbing game, especially when the stakes are high, which reminds me I have to go finish showing Chuck a thing or two."

She shook her head again but with a smile and moved to where she would have a better view of the game.

sss

Will angrily grabbed up the car keys after one fight and ran out of the house. Dee Dee didn't like it one bit because he was drunk and shouldn't be driving, but she didn't want to physically force the keys away him in his angry state. He looked dangerous. She was sure by the time he got to the end of the street he'd be cooled off enough to come home.

Instead, she heard a horrible, sickening crash almost as soon as he got out of the driveway. He had crashed into the telephone pole that was on the other side of the street. The car looked damaged beyond repair, but she was more worried about Will. She ran to him without even putting her shoes on. She jerked the car door open. He had a bruise starting to form on his forehead where he must have bumped his head on the steering wheel. He was still conscious.

"Are you okay?" she asked. She was afraid to touch him, in case he had injured something else.

He looked surprised. "You care?"

She looked at him in disbelief, her voice mixed with anger and concern, "Of course, I care. I may be married to a gambling, idiotic drunk, but I care."

"That's the sweetest thing anybody's ever said to me," he grinned at her, pulling her onto him and kissing her.

When they broke apart, she couldn't help but smile. "What are the neighbors going to think?"

"That I'm lucky to have survived a crash and gotten the most beautiful girl in all the world."

She got climbed out. "I'm still mad at you, you know. You totaled my car," she told him as she helped him stand up. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," he replied. "I think the car might not make it."

She gave a small sigh as she looked at the 1957 Lincoln, a car that held so many memories for them. "I think you're right, but I'm just glad you didn't kill yourself."

sss

"Calm down, Will," Dee Dee begged, as he threw all the objects off the mantle into the floor.

"I can't help it. He just ticks me off. You know what that son of a—"

"Will," she warned.

"I can't help it. Beamer's only been giving me 20 percent of the side bets and calling it 50."

"You knew he wasn't an honest man from the get go."

"Yeah, but," he saw the wisdom in her words and sighed, "yeah. Maybe it's time I tried those fancy tournaments again."

She showed her pleasure with a smile.

"Let me call around and see what I can find out," he said, running a hand through his hair and then going over to the phone.

She got the broom and dustpan and swept up his mess.

sss

A few days later they had just finished dinner when Will announced, "It's our anniversary this weekend."

"I'm surprised you remember that," she told him as she started to clear the table. "And you don't have to tell me. I'm not the one that's out of my head half the time."

"I know I've been drinking more than usual, but I lost the tournament. I'm not sure I can do this after all, and we don't have that much more money to blow. Who am I going to get to back me now?"

"It was one tournament, and you came in second. You need to find confidence that doesn't come from a bottle."

"I know, and I'm really trying to make a new start."

"I know you are," she said, softening, "and I appreciate it."

"I think we need a new start too," he told her.

"You're not getting any argument from me," Dee Dee said, turning the tap on to get the water ready for dishes. "Are you trying to ask for a divorce or something?"

"I have this aunt."

She looked surprised. "Really? I didn't know you had family you were in touch with."

"Just Aunt Belle and you, of course. She's a really great woman who helped raise me as a matter of fact. When my dad died, Mom couldn't take care of us all the time, so she shipped us off with different relatives during the summers. I got Aunt Belle. That's part of why I came to Tennessee. You know you've never told me about your relatives or childhood."

She shrugged. "There's nothing to tell. So what about this aunt of yours?"

"She's got this cabin we could stay in. It's pretty isolated, and there's a boat and fishing and maybe we can you know rekindle our romance. We can use it as a weekend retreat whenever we need it. Aunt Belle hardly ever uses it herself, but there is one condition. We have to eat supper with her in order to use it. She wants to meet you. You'll like her, Dee. I swear you will. She's a lot like you in some ways."

Dee Dee laughed. "Relax, Will. You don't have to sell me on it. I think it's a great idea, and I'd love nothing more than to meet your aunt if she's as nice as you say or even if she's not," she said, looking back at him with a smile while she wiped a dish dry.

He went up behind her and hugged her. It was as close as they'd been in a while. Dee Dee was hopeful. The first year was always roughest, and they'd survived it, and Will was willing to kick his addiction. Maybe they would make it.

sss

"Well, Will, didn't you go and get you a pretty wife," were the first words out of Aunt Belle's mouth.

Dee Dee smiled in response and offered her a hand, but Belle gently shoved it away and brought her into a hug instead. "We're family, girl. I think we can skip the formalities."

"Well, thank you," Dee Dee said, surprised and happy at the warmth from the woman. "I'll certainly remember that, Mrs. Addington."

"Aunt Belle," she corrected. She noticed the golden cross hanging from Dee Dee's neck, an anniversary present from Will. "I take it you're a praying girl?"

"I am," she affirmed.

"Well, good because this boy needs to be wrapped in continual prayer," she said, ruffling Will's hair affectionately. "And it's a comfort to know I have another prayer warrior to join me in the battle."

Dee Dee knew she would like his aunt the moment she saw her and now she was sure.

During supper, she and Dee Dee began exchanging harmless Will stories that garnered laughter and embarrassed Will.

The evening flew by, and when they left, it was plain to see that Belle was sorry that it was coming to a close.

"We'll be in touch from now on," Dee Dee assured her. "You can count on it."

sss

"Oh, it's beautiful," Dee Dee breathed, when she saw the cabin.

"Let's go fishing," he said as soon as they had set down the bags.

"Fishing, me?" she asked questioningly.

"Sure," he told her. "You'll love it. I always put the fish back, and I've got this great fishing boat. I've been using it since I was a kid."

He talked up all the boat's great qualities while he helped her in it. Once they got out on the water, everything seemed to get more peaceful. "Isn't this great?" he asked her. "It's like you can't have problems when you get out here."

"I wouldn't go that far, but I know what you mean."

"You're beautiful, you know that?"

"I'm in jeans and a flannel shirt. I look like the guy on the Brawny paper towels."

He leaned over and kissed her softly. "Trust me I wouldn't have married you if you did," he teased.

Pretty soon they were kissing hard and heavy, completely forgetting about their surroundings until they crashed into a rock. The boat flipped over. Will was the first to pop up. He looked around for Dee Dee. She hadn't come up yet. Just as he started to get worried, she surfaced. Will still had a hold of the boat. Dee Dee was flopping and kicking frantically to stay afloat. "Let's get to the shore," he said.

"This is probably the wrong time to mention this," she said anxiously, "but I can't swim a lick." She was starting to sink under the surface again.

He had to let go of the boat and get her. He helped her swim to the shore. There was a current to struggle against on top of it all. By the time they made it, it was too late to go back and get the boat. It had done sunk to the bottom of the river. Dee Dee looked guilty, "I'm sorry."

He didn't say anything, but he wrapped his arm around her. When they got back to the cabin, he got the fire going again. They soon forgot about the boat and thought about other things like celebrating their anniversary.

sss

It wasn't long after their anniversary when Dee Dee decided she wanted to surprise Will. They'd decided that she wouldn't go to tournaments that were out of town to save money, but she knew he was still drinking and that he wouldn't if she was with him, and every day that he didn't drink was a victory. He had been doing well at the tournaments, and they were making enough to scrape by again, so a bus ticket wouldn't be too expensive.

When she got there, his game was already over; she had been hoping to catch some of it.

She asked the hotel clerk. "May I have the key to my husband's room? I'm Mrs. Addington. My husband Will is staying here. I know I could just call him down to the lobby instead, but I'm here to surprise him."

He looked at her a little strangely but looked at the registry. "William Addington?"

"Yes," she showed him her driver's license as proof of who she was. "See? Addington."

He hesitantly handed her a key, and she wondered what the problem was.

She quickly forgot about it and went up to room 420. He was there alright with a blonde. They both looked up and saw her enter. She immediately turned around and left the room.

She was stunned, angry, and heartbroken all at once. Before she made it to the elevator, Will was chasing after her, and he turned her around to face him. "It's not what it looks like, Dee Dee."

"You weren't in bed with a blonde?" she asked sarcastically. "Does she know you're married or does she care?"

"She knows it means nothing," he told her. "I got drunk and lonely without you, and I made a mistake."

"You bet you did," she said, stepping onto the elevator and trying to go down, but Will put his hand in the door.

"Move your hand," she said.

"Not until you listen to me."

She got off and started heading for the stairs. "I'm through listening. You've gone too far this time. I was willing to look past the alcohol and hustling because I believe you're a good man underneath everything, and I'm willing to fight for our marriage, but if you don't believe in it anymore, I can't fight the battle alone."

She started down the stairs, and he followed. "You can't go into the lobby in nothing but your boxers and undershirt," she pointed out, when they reached the door.

"Says who?"

"Says the sign. Shirt and shoes required."

"I don't care. I need you to listen to me. I love you and only you. I couldn't live without you. I know if I can stop the alcohol, I could stop the women. I'll try, Dee. I swear I will. Just don't leave me. Please, don't give up on me. Not yet."

She was weakening to the pleading. "No more women?"

"She was the last one."

"Maybe I should start going with you everywhere and keep you from getting lonely," she said with a wry smile.

He pulled her into a hug. "That sounds wonderful. I'll be a better husband, Dee. Just watch."

She hugged him back and then wiped her tears. "What are you going to do about that woman?"

"Nothing. We'll go out the back, and I'll have the hotel ship my stuff or something."

"You can't do that. It's cold outside and that's unfair to her even if she deserves it. You wait here and I'll go get your things."

The woman was sitting up and waiting for Will to come back. Dee Dee gathered up his clothes. Then she glared at the woman. "Stay away from my husband."

She shrugged. "Sure thing, honey. I have a husband of my own. We just have fun together when there's no one else to have fun with. It doesn't mean a thing to me, but Will has a reputation. If it's not me, it'll be some other broad."

"You heard what I said," she said before slamming the door shut.

sss

They were in another one of their fights. Will was still getting drunk every night even though he swore he wasn't with any other women, and she was seeing signs that he was taking drugs too.

"You know what I don't even care anymore," she said at last, an outright lie as the problem was she cared too much. "Go back to the bar, hustle, fight, sleep with every woman there. I don't care."

The next thing she knew, she saw his hand come flying toward her. It struck the side of her face, and he sent her to the floor. He hadn't made a fist, but her jaw hurt something awful. The open hand had probably been the difference between a broken jaw and the severe bruise she was bound to get.

"You hit me," she said, still surprised.

He looked at her angrily. "If you don't keep your mouth shut, I'll hit you again. It's about time I did it. You talk too much, and it's my God-given right to hit you. Keep your wife in submission and turn the other cheek. Isn't that what it says in that Bible of yours?"

"What a terrible way to twist God's word, Will Addington. It's true the Bible tells the wife to submit but not for the husband to make her," she said, standing up angrily. "The Bible says nothing about hitting either. The husband is supposed to respect and treat his wife kindly. Jesus taught non-violence. That's what turn the other cheek means. You listen to me, Will. Don't you ever hit me again or I swear I'll leave, and I won't come back."

He simply laughed. "I only hit you once, and you drove me to it."

"Get out!" she yelled. "Get the heck out of this room and the heck out of my life!"

Will had never heard or seen her looking so angry and that was saying a lot. It scared him, and he backed out of the room. She slammed it shut. He heard her burst into tears from behind the door. Her heavy sobs wrung at his heart. Dee Dee was the kindest, most loving person he knew, and he had hurt her. He'd never hit a woman before, least of all his wife. She deserved better. A lesser woman would have left him by now.

He knocked gently on the door after a few minutes. "Dee, I'm sorry. I really am. I don't know what came over me."

She opened the door; tears were still streaming down her face. "I know what came over you. It's a demon called liquor and dope, Will. It makes you into something you'd never be sober."

"I know," he said, a tear rolling down his own cheek. "Do you forgive me?"

"I told you I did, but I'm warning you. I left my dad, and I'll leave you."

"Your dad?" he asked. She'd never talked about her family before.

"My dad beat on me too. They say you marry the same kind of man your father was, I guess that's true, but I won't take it like my mom did. I'm not that kind of woman."

"Your dad beat you?" he asked angrily. "Is he still alive?"

"No, both my parents are dead now, but, Will, I saw him in you tonight. He'd stay out all the night drinking and then he'd come home and take it out on me and Mom. As long as you hit me, he lives on. If you want to help me, help me by stopping your drinking."

He said, still crying, "I'm sorry, Dee. I promise it won't happen again. I won't ever hit you again, and I won't let anyone else hit you either," he said, crying harder. He hugged her, and she hugged him back.

"I'm holding you to that promise, Will."

sss

The hitting stopped for a while. He never even tried to stop the drugs, alcohol, and the women.

Dee Dee was seriously contemplating leaving him after a 2 week bender that brought an angry, abusive husband home every night or morning, depending how you chose to look at 4:00 a.m.

Despite her threats, she didn't have the heart to leave him, but she came close to packing her bags one time after a nasty fight that had left her with more than one bruise. The bruises didn't hurt half as much as his stinging words. He'd told her he didn't love her and that he found more satisfaction in the arms of other women. Her suitcase was out of the closet, and she was contemplating where to go.

Then he brought her a white rose, her favorite flower, and he was completely sober for the first time in a while.

"What's this for?" she asked surprised.

It wasn't their anniversary, but it had turned out that he was better at remembering special dates than she was, so maybe it was something besides their marriage anniversary.

"It's a rose for the most beautiful lady in the world outside and in," he said with all sincerity.

She was suspicious. He must have wrecked the car again or something and was trying to soften her up before he told her.

He laughed, sensing her suspicion, and hugged her. "I mean it. You put up with too much from me, Dee. I just want to let you know that I know it, and I'm sorry. I love you. I've never loved anyone but you, and I never will."

She couldn't help but smile.

An hour and a half later, she climbed out of bed. There were tears in her eyes. He could be so frustrating one minute and the sweetest man in the world the next and like the sucker she was, it didn't take much for her to forget the bad times and only remember the good. She took her white rose and pressed it into her Bible. Will had noticed she was missing and patted the bed for her to come back to bed. She did, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Will, are you happy with me?" she got up the nerve to ask. She couldn't help but wonder why he had to seek women elsewhere.

"The happiest," he said, his eyes still closed as he kissed her shoulder. He must have felt how tense she was because he opened his eyes. He knew what she was getting at. "Dee, it's got nothing at all to do with you. It's the drugs and the alcohol. You know that. It makes me say yes before I can say no. I'm never clean and sober when I'm with them. I wake up, wishing it was you beside me. You're the only person I truly enjoy being with."

"Then why do you take them?"

He looked at her rather sadly and said truthfully, "Because I can't stop."

sss

Their second anniversary came and went.

"Will, we have to talk," Dee Dee said one night.

"Not tonight, Dee Dee," he said, flopping onto the bed.

"Tonight, Will. I've been trying to wait until you're sober but the truth is you're never sober anymore and when you're hung-over you can't talk because you have a headache or you have more pool to play or some woman to see. We never talk."

He only grunted.

"Will, I'm tired of it all. You need counseling," she said.

He didn't answer.

"I'm serious. I've checked into it, and there's a clinic nearby. We can afford it, and you can get some help," she said.

He sat up. "I don't need any help!"

"You can check in on Monday."

He grabbed her roughly by the wrist. "I am not going, and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop treating me like a child. I'm a man, and I can make my own decisions."

"Sometimes even men need help. Just look at all that's happened to you lately, Will," she told him, her eyes burning with tears that she was trying to hold back. "You're not the same man I married."

He threw her back against the bed and began to pace. Then he looked at her. "Have you ever thought that maybe this is who I am? I'm a drunk, a drug addict, a womanizer, a violent man."

"It's not who you are. I made a promise to you, Will. That I was going to stick by you for better or worse and I am, but I think this is something you should do."

He laughed. "I'm not the one with a problem. I like my life just fine. You have no idea how I feel."

"You're not happy."

"You're right I'm not happy!" he yelled. "You're supposed to make me happy and all you ever do is nag. I feel empty, and my addictions fill me up."

"Then why do you need more and more? I can't remember the last time your eyes weren't glazed. Yes, I do. That night you brought me the rose. It's been months since then."

"Just shut up!" He hit her harder than he ever had before. The slap landed on the side of her head and blood trickled out of her ear. Will saw it and ran out of the apartment. He knew he'd never darken the doorway of their home again. He was messed up, and he didn't deserve her, but more importantly she didn't deserve all the things he had done to her. She was better than that. He'd send her the divorce papers in the mail.

sss

Dee Dee didn't want to because she knew she couldn't afford it, but she had to go to the doctor. There was a strange ringing noise that wouldn't go away, and the blood hadn't been a good sign either. Will had done some damage this time for sure.

"I want to know all your symptoms," the doctor told her.

"It's just this ringing noise in my ear and some blood came out at the time of injury."

"What happened to you?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just hit the side of my head."

He didn't look like he particularly believed that. "Do you have any other symptoms, Mrs. Addington? Anything could be important."

"Well, I've been nauseous and tired lately, but that was before I busted my ear."

"Is that all?"

"I've been getting aches in my back and head, but like I said that was before the blow to my head."

"I see. Have you had your period lately?"

"I don't know what this has to do with my ear, doctor. I—" Her eyes widened. It's what she had been afraid of. It's one of the reasons she had been afraid of going to the doctor when her symptoms hadn't gone away. Will's sleeping around had finally come to haunt her in a more physical way. "I have a disease, don't I?"

"I wouldn't call it a disease. I think you may be pregnant."

Pregnant. The word seemed to echo in her head. She and Will had never once discussed having children. Of course, it's not that they had gone to any extreme measures to prevent it. Will carried protection in his wallet, so that he wouldn't have children with any of the other women he was with, but they were for the other women. They never bothered with it when they were together, but at the same time, they'd never planned to have children either. She had paid attention to the time of month and when she told him it wasn't a good time, he listened. It was kind of an unspoken agreement between them. It wasn't that she didn't love children, but children just didn't fit into their life. "But what about my ear?"

"That's another problem entirely. It's very possible you've damaged your eardrum, but it's also likely that it'll mend itself."

"And then this doggone ringing will stop?" she asked, rubbing her tender ear.

"It should," he told her.

sss

She had thought that she'd receive an apology phone call from jail or maybe even an apology in person, but she didn't. Then she got the divorce papers and she'd heard through mutual acquaintances that he was living about 30 minutes away with Harley, one of his more decent friends.

She was surprised at first and then she cried, but it wasn't long before anger took over. She had stuck by him through some bad times. She had wanted to leave many times and get a divorce, but she hadn't. He had hurt her physically and emotionally more times than she could count and if anyone deserved the right to leave, she did.

She realized though that he had done her a favor. Maybe God even had a hand in it. If he abused her, he would probably abuse the child and that was something she couldn't abide by. She wouldn't have a problem keeping him away. He was a stubborn man and if he had made up his mind, he had made up his mind. Nothing, short of his finding out about their baby, would bring him back into her life.

She couldn't help wonder why he'd divorced her. Yes, she had nagged and fought with him sometimes, but she had been the best wife she could be. He was the one who had beat her, cheated on her, and started most of the fights. He'd probably fallen in love with one of his mistresses and had been looking for an excuse to leave her, and the clinic was it. That thought was enough to harden her heart farther and the ringing in her ear helped serve as a reminder of the abuse and how she had to protect the baby. She was done with William Joseph Addington.

sss

6 months later, she gave birth to a baby boy and when she saw his face for the first time, she saw some of Will, which brought tears to her eyes. He was a part of this baby whether she liked it or not, and whether she admitted it or not, she still loved this baby's father, although she was working hard to change that. Even if she couldn't tell Will about their son, she could name her baby after him. It was fair, since he wouldn't be bearing Will's last name. So William Joseph Stanley went on the birth certificate. She decided to call him Billy Joe for short, which was different enough from Will.

Whenever she went out into public with her baby, she was afraid. What if she ran into Will, one of Will's friends, or his aunt? Anybody could guess he was Will's son. She made a decision to move to Oregon. She didn't know why she chose Oregon. Probably because it was on the other side of the country, and it was a random state that she knew nothing about, a state that Will would never think about going to. She did call up Will's aunt though and told her that she was moving there just in case something went wrong with finalizing the divorce. She figured that Belle would probably tell Will that she was moving out there, but there was no reason at all for him to go chasing her down. Aunt Belle said she understood and offered to help her move, but she had to decline because of the baby.

sss

"Billy Joe," she laughed, as he took running off down the grocery store aisle. She was trying to catch him. He was a fast runner to be so little.

A man scooped him up for her. "Are you trying to escape your mother, little one? You're a lucky, little fellow. I'd stick close to her if I were you. Here you go, Dee Dee."

She smiled and took him from the man. "Do I know you?"

He blushed. "We go to church together. I'm Frank Campbell."

She smiled. "I thought you looked familiar."

He smiled at her bashfully. "Would you and Billy Joe like to have dinner with me?"

"I'd like that a lot," she said. A lot of men had asked her to have dinner, but no one had ever invited Billy Joe to come along. She liked Frank already. Then she realized something especially strange. After 2 whole years, the ringing in her ear had just stopped. She felt like it was a sign from God.

Their courtship lasted for 3 months, which was considerably longer than her courtship with Will. She really liked Frank. She told him everything and he told her everything. It was a completely honest relationship, which was something she'd never fully had before. They were very similar to each other, and she knew that meant little or no fighting. She knew his love for Christ was strong and that he loved her and Billy Joe, so she saw no reason to say no when he proposed to her. There was only one problem really. She didn't love him in a romantic way, but she had had her fill of romantic love with Will. She knew Frank knew that, and Frank was willing to overlook it. In time, she could grow to love him. It was only a small step between like and love.

sss

"Mrs. Campbell?" came the man's voice on the phone.

"Yes?"

"I'm—"

"Hold on a second," she put her hand over the mouthpiece and looked at her 10 year old son sternly. He had grabbed a stack of cookies and was trying to sneak off with them.

"You can have one before supper and that's it." He grinned mischievously but obeyed and put all but one of the cookies back. She removed her hand, "I'm sorry. You were saying?"

"Ma'am, this is the Pineville Hospital. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your husband has been killed. We're going to need you to come and identify the…" Her concentration dwindled after that. She heard words like electric storm and power line but not a lot was registering. At last, she heard, "Ma'am, ma'am?"

"Yes?"

"I'd recommend finding someone to drive you."

"Thank you," she answered, and she hung up. Is that what you said in a situation like that? She didn't know, and she was still in a state of shock. She and Frank had been married for 8 years now. The liking had turned to love. Frank had become her best friend. She'd even learned to stop thinking about Will somewhere along the way. Frank was a good father and a good husband. What more could she ask for? Her life had fallen into a comfortable routine and now that routine was seriously disturbed. Billy Joe had finished off his cookie.

"Can't I have just one more cookie, Momma?" he asked her.

She nodded and pleased, he went for another cookie. She didn't know what to tell him. He knew that Frank wasn't his biological father. She and Frank had felt that important to tell him, and pictures don't lie anyway. She had never told him who his father was, other than to say he was in heaven and being so young he didn't press for details yet. It helped that he thought of Frank as a father; he called him Daddy Frank. He was going to be devastated. She was devastated. She felt the hot tears forming in her eyes, as it finally began to sink in.

sss

After they buried Frank, they went back to the house. She surveyed the mountains of food brought over by neighbors, church members, and friends. "Are you hungry?" she asked him.

Billy Joe just shook his head.

He wasn't crying, at least not now. She knew how he felt. She was all cried out. You still felt like crying, but you didn't have the energy or the tears left for it. The feeling tended to ruin your appetite.

Billy Joe was looking out the window. It was raining. It often rained in this part of the country. Today it was particularly noticeable. It seemed like the sky was doing the crying for them.

"Momma, can we move somewhere where it doesn't rain so much? I'm tired of the rain."

"Me too, son," she replied. Maybe it was time to move back to Tennessee. She wanted another fresh start, but she didn't want a completely new one either. Enough time had lapsed. Who knew? Maybe Will had moved somewhere else.

sss

After a long day of unpacking, she and Billy Joe had gone to eat at a charming, little diner that reminded her of the one she used to work at before she married Will.

"You have a lovely diner here," she told the elderly woman serving her and Billy Joe with a smile. "I used to work in a diner. I thought about owning one of my own one day."

"This must be fate then," she answered with a return smile. "Because if you're still thinking, I'm selling the place."

She knew of an old friend who would probably be willing to loan her the money. He'd been a friend of Will's too. She knew she couldn't get a loan from the bank. She was willing to swallow her pride and see someone from the past. Now that she was back in Tennessee, it was even possible she'd see Will sooner or later.

She took Billy Joe with her to the pool hall. While he watched the men play pool, she found Gary.

"Dee Dee! I didn't know you were back in Tennessee," he said, greeting her with a hug. He motioned for her to sit down. "What have you been up to all these years?"

"I've been living out in Oregon. I got myself another husband and a wonderful son, but Frank, my husband, passed away a couple months ago, so here we are. I'm looking to buy a diner to support us."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Dee, but it's good that you have a plan."

"A start of a plan anyway. I got some money when my husband died but most of that went for his burial," she explained. "It's getting so a person can't afford to die."

"I hear you," Gary said.

"I've already taken a loan for our new house. It wasn't much, but I wanted Billy to have a yard to play in you see. The problem is I don't see them giving me another sizable loan with no real collateral, and I was hoping you could help. The loan isn't so big. Once the business gets going good, I'd pay you back with interest. I'm thinking it'd be paid back in 5 to 7 years tops."

"No, Dee. No interest."

"Gary, I can't take your money and not pay a little extra. What's in it for you?"

"Helping a dear friend," he said as he wrote out a check. "Just fill in however much you need."

Dee Dee put the check carefully into her pocketbook. "I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

"I know you will."

"Don't we need to draw up a contract?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I don't need a contract from you. You're as honest as the day is long."

"Thank you. I won't forget this," she said. "I don't know if you're still in touch with Will, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention seeing me."

"I haven't talked to him since he left you like he did, but I'll tell you something, Dee, it was the best thing he ever did for you."

She only nodded and looked out at Billy Joe, who was still watching the pool game intently.

"Jane and I'd like it if you and your son came to dinner one night."

"I'd like that too," she smiled. "It's be great to catch up with Jane."

"He's a cute kid," Gary said.

She laughed. "He takes after me."

He joined in her laugh. "No doubt. I bet he misses his father something fierce."

"Yeah, the death was unexpected. We needed a change, and I missed Tennessee."

Gary laughed. "Look at your son."

She did. One of the men had handed him the pool stick and he took some crazy shots, bringing laughter from the men at the table.

Dee Dee, however, was chilled. For the first time, she saw more of Will in him than a couple of facial features. "We have to go, Gary. Thanks again."

She got up and handed the pool stick back to the man and drug Billy Joe out by his hand.

Gary watched Dee Dee's reaction closely. It set him to thinking. The boy was about the right age to be Will's son, and why else had his pool playing seemed to upset her so much.

Outside Billy Joe was asking, "Momma, can't we go back so I can play that game? The man says it's called bill-something."

"It's billiards or pool."

"Whatever it's called it's the most fun game I ever played in my whole life," he said as he looked up at her pleadingly.

She sighed. There was no point in keeping him from pool because of his father. Maybe he would get tired of the game.

She took him back to Gary's the next day.

Gary smiled at her pleasantly. "Did you buy the diner?"

"I did. Are you sure Will doesn't ever come here anymore?"

"He wouldn't dare," Gary told her. "Why?"

"Well, my son seems to have taken an interest in pool, and I'd just as soon not run into Will. Memphis is a big place, but taking him to pool halls would just be asking for it."

"That's the truth," Gary told her. "Of course, he's welcome to. I'd even be willing to teach him about pool."

"I appreciate it."

"He's Will's son, isn't he?"

"Yes, and Will doesn't know about him, and I won't lie if the question should ever come up from my son or Will, but I'd rather it not come up."

"I understand that."

"I think it's best for everybody. Billy Joe knows Frank wasn't his real father. Will isn't tied down by a child."

"You don't have to convince me," Gary assured her. "I guess the first thing I better do is teach that boy how to hold a stick."

"Be my guest, but don't forget I aim to teach him a couple things myself. If there's one thing I learned married to Will, it's pool."

sss

Running a diner turned out to be harder than she had expected. She was stressed and very tired when she served one of her customers, so she didn't notice who she was until she said, "Why, Dee Dee, how great to see you!" It was Will's aunt.

"Ma'am," she answered nervously.

"Don't give me none of that ma'am stuff. I'm still Aunt Belle to you. You look bushed. I think you could use some time at the cabin."

"You do realize Will and I are divorced?" she asked, wondering if Aunt Belle had had a slip of memory.

She laughed, "Of course, I do. I was terribly disappointed to hear it and even more disappointed when you didn't keep in touch with me, but I like you, Dee Dee, and I still consider you to be one of the family. I do hear from Will every now and then, but he hasn't used the cabin since he went there with you, so you won't bump into him. You just need to get away from it all for awhile. Be alone with nature and God as your only companions. We all need that from time to time."

"But I have a—"

"A what?" she asked.

She hesitated about whether she could trust Will's aunt not to say anything. She didn't get a chance to decide. The bus dropped Billy Joe off at the diner, and he came rushing in and hugged like her like he always did when he got home. "Mrs. Thompson wants to have a meeting with you, Momma."

Dee Dee sighed. "What did you do now, son?"

"Jeremy started it, Mom."

"Never mind. We'll talk about this later. You get started on that homework of yours if you want to go to Gary's."

He looked at her sullenly but went to do his homework.

"A son," Dee Dee finished. "I have a son. I'd have to take him with me, but as you might can tell, he can be a bit of a handful sometimes. It wouldn't be a vacation at all. I'd have to watch him every minute in the woods. He'd be up on the tallest branch there is and into the poison ivy before I could blink twice."

She smiled. "He's the splitting image of Will at that age."

Dee Dee was alarmed that she knew. "Will doesn't know about Billy Joe, Belle, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Honey, I think you're only prolonging the inevitable. I'll tell you straight out. I think you 3 should be a family. I think a son could do the trick on making Will responsible, but I'll stay completely out of it. My offer still stands. If you have no objections, I'll take care of Billy Joe, and you go to the cabin."

"But—"

"We'll be just fine. He's my grandnephew, and don't forget I had Will for whole summers, and I tell you, he wasn't that much different."

Dee Dee smiled and hugged her. "You're the greatest. I'm sure Billy Joe would love to spend time with his Aunt Belle."

sss

18-year-old Billy burst through the door. "Guess what, Mom? I found somebody to back me."

"You're not going to hustle, are you? Please tell me that you're not going to hustle."

Billy's Joe's face went dark and angry. "Why can't you just be happy for me? It's a way to make a living."

Dee Dee immediately backed down. She wasn't going to push her son away even if she didn't approve of his lifestyle. He was following in his father's footsteps all the way. "If you're happy, I'm happy."

He smiled and hugged her. "I'm moving out too. I'll be living out of hotels and going wherever the games take me. I don't know when I'll be seeing you again."

She tried to hide the pain she felt. She was being left all over, but that was life. "I want to give you something, son," she told him. "Maybe it'll bring you more luck than it brought me."

He followed her into her bedroom, and she pulled out a dusty, old jewelry box. It contained the ring that she had taken off when she'd gotten too pregnant to wear it. It was the only thing she had kept from Will. She had burned all his pictures, partly out of anger and partly out of necessity. She didn't want Billy Joe to know what his father looked like, in case he ever ran into him.

"This is the ring your father gave me. He had it made especially for me," she said, placing it on his palm. She started to tell him how she'd met his father and other things that would interest him to know, but the words got stuck in her throat, and she had to fight back the tears.

He obviously thought it was because she was still upset about the pretend death she had made up and so he didn't push the subject but hugged her tenderly. "Thanks, Mom."

She didn't know why she couldn't take talking about Will. It was just a painful period in her life that she didn't feel comfortable talking about or even remembering.

Billy Joe put the ring in his pocket and kissed her on the cheek. "I've got to go pack."

sss

Will was driving along the road one Sunday when he spotted a church, and he got an overwhelming longing to go in there.

Will had been divorced from Dee Dee for 12 years when this happened, but he thought about her every day. He wondered if she thought about him. He wondered if she missed him like he missed her. He knew the answer was no, but even if he knew the answer was yes, he was doing what was best for her for once. He wasn't going to be selfish. His drinking had gotten worse after she left if that was even possible. He was drunk more than he was sober. He tried a couple of times to be intimate with a woman, but he only pictured Dee Dee and ended up crying before it ever got very far. He still carried their wedding picture in his pocket. He knew he wasn't ever going to marry anyone else. You just didn't get struck by the same lightning twice, not lightening like that. He wondered if he would ever get over her. He hoped so. He couldn't take the aching pain in his chest much longer.

Maybe he thought it would make him feel close to Dee Dee, but whatever the reason, he went inside the church. It was a pretty, little Baptist church. He sat down in the back pew quietly, thankful that no one seemed to notice him. They sang _Amazing Grace_, but he didn't join in.

"You know a lot of folks think that song is rather square. That some little, old church lady composed it. There's a real story behind it. First of all, a man wrote it, and he hadn't been a church-going man all his life, not even close. He drank and gambled for one thing, and he was a slaver. He was about as unchristian as they come. He was a true wretch. You know what saved him and brought him a new lifestyle? It wasn't religion, and it wasn't church. It was God. It was Jesus. He woke up to the fact that God was real. That God could change him. That God could forgive him. That God could make him happy because He loves him like He loves us.

"Have you woke up to that fact, friend? I don't care about your past; God forgives and gives you a future that you can live with. Is there any among you who wants God in their life? Because I tell you it makes this life a lot easier to travel through when you have God on your side and the promise of eternal life. If you want that peace and love, I'm not even going to make you come up here. Some people like coming up here, so don't feel shy if you're ready to publicize it, but all you have to do is repeat this prayer. 'Jesus, I know I am a sinner.'"

Will found tears forming in his eyes. He wanted that forgiveness and that peace. He wanted the God that Dee Dee served in his life because he needed Him, so he repeated, "Jesus, I know I am a sinner."

"I know that You died and rose again for sinners like me." "I know that You died and rose again for sinners like me."

"I want Your love and forgiveness in my life. Please come into my life." "I want Your love and forgiveness in my life. Please come into my life."

Will felt a peace that he'd never felt before. Something had changed in him. Maybe this time he could really change his life.


	2. Movie

Will was playing a charity function. He had long given up hustling and tournaments. He made his living by doing fancy pool tricks for charities. He was barely getting by, but he was sure that the Lord would bring something along any time now. He felt a change in the air. He was looking into owning a pool hall with his friend, Harley, although that was still in the dream stage. The impressed crowd cheered him on as he did his tricks.

A blonde, curly-haired youth came in and challenged him to a game. He wasn't going to do it at first, but Harley encouraged him. He was a cocky adolescent, who obviously was a hustler. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw Beamer trying to talk the boy out of playing him. Will decided to play him. If he took all his money maybe he would learn that the gambling and cheating wasn't any way to live. Maybe he would go back home to his parents. He looked like he had just gotten out of high school.

The kid tried to egg him on all through the game with taunts. Will stayed silent and let him win for awhile. He wasn't a bad pool player, but he had a lot to learn. At last he put the boy in his place and sunk the balls without even trying. The boy was out of money, but he wasn't ready to give up.

"I'll play your fancy shooting stick against this ring." Then he rolled his mom's wedding ring down the table, so he could look at it.

Will picked it up and examined it. It was the ring he'd given Dee Dee. He wondered if the boy had stolen it from her or if she had just pawned it. "Where'd you get this?"

Billy Joe was annoyed that this man thought he had come by it illegally, and it was none of his business, so he answered smartly, "I found it in a bowl of gumbo."

Will decided he was going to get to the bottom of this. He left the ring on the table and got in his car to go to the diner where Dee Dee worked. He had known she was there for awhile, but he knew his seeing her would be less than welcomed by her. He'd been trying to work up the nerve to see her though, if only to apologize for the way he had treated her and bring some closure for the both of them. He had no hopes of them becoming friends, but this was as good an excuse as any, and he really wanted to know how the boy had come by the ring.

Dee Dee saw him come in out of the corner of her eye. She felt like her heart was going to stop. She reminded herself to breathe. She had known that Harley would tell him about seeing her here. There was only one way to handle it and that was to keep it strictly business. If he wanted to eat here, fine, but she wasn't about to get personal with him. She brought him a glass of water and asked politely, "What'll you have, Will?"

He laughed. "You act like I was just in here yesterday."

"Well, our Denver omelets are quite popular," she said, ignoring his comment as she wiped off the counter. He was not going to draw her into anything.

"Just coffee."

That's what he had said the first time she had waited on him. "Okay." She felt victorious that she had managed to keep things business related. She grabbed a cup and the coffee pot. She couldn't help but wonder though what he was doing here. It had been awhile since Harley was here. She and Harley hadn't really spoken just acknowledged each other with a friendly nod. She was curious. "Is this an accident or is this a visit?"

"Harley was through here a few months ago and said you were back from Oregon," he told her as she poured his coffee.

"I've been back 8 years."

"This place must agree with you."

"Yeah, I get along real good with the owner," she said.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Naw," she said, her voice full of humor. "It's me."

"How about that?" he said impressed. "Harley said you looked good. He should have said you look great."

That made her mad. She didn't know what his motive was, but he wasn't going to worm his way back into her heart with his lying compliments. She never wanted that kind of life again, and she was going to make that clear to him. "You know I hardly recognized you, Will, without a hangover."

That made him mad too, but in a way, she was relieved the pleasantries were over.

"I just saw a wedding ring I gave you 21 years ago on a mouthy kid with a 6-pack IQ. Rolled it down a pool table. Wanted me to play him for it."

That made her really mad, and she put her hands on her hips. That was why he'd come here to find out about the ring and insult her son. She wondered how he'd react if he knew that 'mouthy kid' was his. She was going to find out. "If his name is Billy Joe Stanley, you should have played him, Will." It was time for the truth to come out, she thought, cooling down a little. It always did whether you wanted it to or not. She said more earnestly, "That boy's your son."

He didn't believe it right away. "Aww, what are you talking about? That punk?"

That brought her temper back. He hadn't changed a bit, she thought, angrily clattering the dishes. "I wonder what he'd have called you?"

He knew she was serious then. "We ought to talk, Dee."

"I'd say we've about covered it."

"When?" he asked, standing up from his stool. "21 years ago?"

The last thing she wanted to do was talk with the kind of mood she was in, particularly to him. "I'm busy, Will." She hoped he'd take the hint. He wasn't going to cause a scene here in public, especially with a cop close to him. Will saw the cop looking at him and he sat back down.

She busily cleared plates. Every now and then she peeked a look at him. He wasn't going away and truthfully she didn't blame him. She didn't regret not telling him about the baby, but now that he knew, it was only natural he'd want to know more about his own flesh and blood, but she didn't want to do it at the diner. She filled his coffee cup again and told him, "If you want to stick around until closing, you can follow me home and we can talk there."

He agreed to it on the spot. She almost hoped he would get tired of waiting and leave, but he stuck around the 4 hours. He even helped her close the shop up, which surprised her. He was never a great helper and he should have been more than a little angry over the news. They never said a word to each other. They walked out to their cars and he followed her to her house. She opened the door, and he followed her into the kitchen.

She threw her coat onto the chair and spoke first, "Well, let's see. 18 years old. Born June the 19th. Memphis, Tennessee. Right here. 6 months to the day after you dusted out. He's had the chickenpox, the mumps, a broken jaw." She said giving him a short history all the while she was pouring them some coffee.

"You could have told me, Dee. I wasn't that far away."

"Well, I was. Do you know that you broke this eardrum with that last slap you gave me? It left me with a continual ringing in this ear for 2 years to remind me of all the benders and the wrecked cars and the calls from the deputies. And did you know when Frank came along, that ringing just stopped, and I got married again."

"Billy Joe get along alright with his stepfather?"

"Yeah, it was Oregon he didn't like. Oregon's alright. It's just the drizzling started, and I don't know. He was a tough kid to raise and even tougher to know. "

"I wonder why he never looked me up?"

"Cause you're dead, Will. Blown all to heck in a Louisiana oil rig in an explosion. That's what I told him. That's why he calls himself the Cajun Kid."

"And that takes care of Dad."

"I just didn't talk about you, Will. I just never got around to telling him we had any kind of wedding. Just about the ring."

They drank their coffee in silence and then she walked him to the door.

"Dee Dee, I turned the corner awhile back. Started going to church."

"And you didn't get struck by lightening?" she teased.

"Not yet," he smiled.

"You know you do look healthier, Will."

"Where's your husband?"

"Frank was killed out in Oregon. Power line went down in a storm."

"I'm sorry."

"You know he wasn't a bad father."

He nodded and started to leave.

"Hey and, Will, if you see our boy, would you tell him I miss him?"

He nodded again. She watched him interestedly as he walked away. Maybe he had changed.

sss

Will was determined to find Billy Joe. He wanted to bond with the son he never knew and maybe lead him toward the right path. He also wanted to help Dee Dee. He went from pool hall to pool hall asking for the Cajun Kid. At last, he found the right place. Billy Joe was coming out with Beamer and his arm around a girl. Then he got in a fist fight with the guy he had cheated and won before driving away. It could have very well been him in Billy Joe's place and at one time it had been.

He followed the car to a motel. He waited there all night. Billy Joe wouldn't very well talk to him with the girl there. When the girl left, he knocked on the door. Billy Joe was putting his clothes back on and didn't seem bitter about their game of pool.

"Beamer told me you used to hustle right before you started playing tournaments."

"That's true. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, everyone treats you like a real honcho, a gentleman pool player, and you're out there shucking and sharecropping just like the rest of us."

"Well, it's something I'm not too proud of, but the best thing I can say is that it's behind me."

"Also said that you were a national 9-ball champ a year before you gave up pool completely."

"Hey, can we take a walk? Get some coffee?"

Billy Joe agreed to it.

Outside, Billy Joe told Will, "Coffee shop's that way," when they started going the wrong direction.

"We'll get to it."

"What was it like being a champ? Holding a title?"

"Felt pretty good. For about 10 minutes until I realized that I had to defend it against guys like me. I do have something I wanted to talk to you about. It may come as a blinding revelation."

"Okay, blind me."

Will was trying to figure out how to tell him. There was just no easy way. He just had to say it. "Your name is Addington. William Joseph Addington."

"Wait, a minute. My father's dead. He was blown—"

"Your mother and I were married 21 years ago. Will had pulled out his and Dee Dee's wedding picture from his pocket. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't pull it out and look at it. "Date's on the back. I'm your father."

Billy Joe had no choice but to believe it. "And all this time I thought I was a genuine bastard. Where the heck were you?"

"I didn't know you were born, son. Your mother never told me."

"She must have really hated you. What did you do to her anyway?" he demanded.

Will was proud that he was so protective of her. The boy obviously loved his mother. "I was a hardcore hustler. Booze, drugs, women. The whole 9 yards. Can we get that coffee?"

He looked away. He looked like he wanted to deck him, but you couldn't get too mad about sins that you did yourself. He started to walk away and Will followed. He knew there was one way to get to his son and that was through pool.

"What do you want from me?"

"Just a little of your time. I think there's a few things we could catch up on."

"You're all ready to play Daddy."

"No, I think it's a little late for that, but we share the same bloodline. Some of it's working for you. Some of it's working against you. That I can help you with."

"Like how?"

"With a little coaching, I think you can be a better pool player than I ever was. Sounds kind of strange me talking to you like a father. You being told you're the son of the Baron."

"Well, I tell you what, Mr. Father," he said, grabbing his father by the arm to get his attention. "I won't tell anybody if you won't." He tucked the wedding picture back in Will's vest pocket.

sss

They met up again in a pool hall. Billy Joe had just been introduced to a lady hustler named Mary Beth. Will was focused on a game of pool as they all watched him play.

"Who is that?" Mary Beth asked in an impressed tone.

"My father," Billy Joe admitted.

Will finally caught sight of Billy Joe. "I was just leaving," and he started to.

"Hold on," Billy Joe said. "I want to say something."

"I'd say you've about covered everything."

"What I want to say is I've never played 8-ball."

"Some other time, kid," he said a little more softly.

"Yeah, whatever," and he walked off.

Will started to leave too but before he had even opened the door, he said, "What's the stakes?"

"Hundred."

"Make that a glass of grapefruit juice."

"Yeah, I think I can handle that."

Will grinned and they played their game. Will won.

They went to a restaurant around the corner.

"You do look a little like me here and there," Billy Joe said after he paid for their juice.

"Who looks like who?"

"Sure didn't look like you at the pool table."

"You'd be surprised how much you look like me at that table. Same pluses. Same minuses."

"What kind of minuses?"

"Your bridge. It's mostly mechanics. Seen your mom lately?"

Billy Joe shook his head. "Been a few months. I haven't had much time. Been traveling with Beamer. Playing mostly out in the boonies." He looked out the window while he took a sip of juice.

"You comfortable with that kind of life?"

He gave a nod. "I don't want to do it forever."

"You got a girlfriend?"

"No. I don't get too lonesome if that's what you mean. Look what's the matter with my bridge?"

"It's too short. I'll help you with that. If you're interested in trying some tournaments."

"No thanks. I'm doing fine just like I am."

"Hustling is stealing, Billy. That's all you can make out of it. You're still carrying the family name."

"I am not using your name," he said angrily. "I'm making one of my own."

"Where in backwater pool halls playing all the short stops?"

"Excuse me. I didn't know I'd stepped into a church," he said, standing up.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Let's start over."

Billy Joe sat back down.

"Why'd you take me on again?" Will asked.

Billy Joe sighed. "I haven't been working much since I blew off a game."

"I haven't either," Will said. "We ought to make a serious attempt to get to know each other."

"Couldn't hurt the way I've been playing pool."

They left the restaurant talking about trying a tournament as they headed back towards the pool hall. Beamer and Mary Beth were getting ready to get in Beamer's car.

"Hey, BJ! We got ourselves a new business associate!" Beamer shouted.

"So you're really going to keep little Miss Mary Contrary, huh?"

Will kept moving so he wouldn't get into it with Beamer, but he rested against the building to watch the outcome.

"We'll get her a new wardrobe, a new hairdo. That's a good handle you know. Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary. I like it."

"You know you could keep her in pigtails and have her ride into the pool hall on a tricycle, sucking her thumb."

"You want to shoot some pool, partner," Mary Beth challenged, "before you got too many words to eat?"

"We aren't partners yet. I'm going to have a try at the tournament in Oak Ridge. Baron's picking up expenses."

Beamer looked over at Will, who gave him a satisfied look.

"Well, I think that's a dynamite idea. Yeah, you could use a little coaching."

"Yeah, your coaching didn't get it."

"Hey, it gave you a lot of plumb. We leveled it, right?" Beamer said, although at this point, he seemed to be looking at Will instead of Billy Joe. "Right, well, maybe we'll see you in Oak Ridge. Come on, little girl, climb right in here."

Billy Joe walked back over to Will. Mary looked out the window with a quick "See you," and they drove off.

Will drove and Billy Joe asked, "Is this a shortcut to Oak Ridge," when he saw they weren't going in that direction.

"No, this is where we get in shape."

"What kind of shape?"

"Tournament's going to be double elimination. 3 the first morning, 3 the next morning."

Billy Joe laughed. "You're going to try and get me ready in a day and a half."

sss

While they were getting massages, Billy Joe asked, "How come you never got married again?"

Will saw no reason to hide the truth. "I was a long time getting over your mom." There was a bit of a lie in that. He still hadn't gotten over her.

"If you liked her so much, how come you walked out on her?"

Will chose not to answer. This was dangerous territory and not something he wanted to get in to.

They took steam baths next.

"You look like you're thinking about entering this tournament too," Billy Joe commented.

"I am if I can get back in the zone."

"The zone?"

"The zone's a combination of what experience tells you to do, what your ego wants to do, and nerve lets you do."

"This has to help," Billy Joe said, referring to the treatment.

They went to eat next at a fancy restaurant next that was part of the hotel.

"Hmm, you set quite a pace," Billy Joe said.

"Let me know if it gets too rigorous," Will kidded back.

The owner came over and was a friend of Will's. Will introduced them. "Sam, this is my boy Billy Joe. He's going to play at Oak Ridge tomorrow."

Sam shook his hand. "Well, if you can play half as good as your old man you got a beeline to fame and fortune. You know he once almost owned this place. Yep, had the deed hanging right over the pool table."

"You're kidding," Billy Joe said.

"No, siree, but the old shark here let me off the hook and I got out of losing 25,000. Mighty glad of it too. Well, everything at the table, it's on the house."

"Oh, no, Sam," Will protested to no avail.

"Will, thank you for everything."

"Thanks, Sam," Will said.

"That true?" Billy Joe wanted to know after Sam was out of hearing.

"This hotel's been in his family for three generations, son."

"That was reason to lose?" Billy Joe asked, not able to believe his ears.

"I really wanted this place but some stakes are just too precious to put on a lampshade."

"Maybe you don't know how to close out a key match, Baron. No killer instinct."

"Maybe, but I sure get one when you talk sometimes."

Billy Joe only smiled.

sss

The match didn't go so well for Billy Joe and he had to hear comments about how he didn't measure up to his father. Billy Joe ran into Mary Beth, who was looking a lot more like a woman and they flirted back and forth until Beamer joined them. He told him that they needed someone for a match that would get 15,000, but he managed to resist the temptation and head to his next match.

When he'd had enough of the jeering comments, he dumped a pitcher of water on the hecklers with the comment, "Drinks are on me, sports fans." He went over and told Beamer that he would be the partner they needed.

Will found out the match Billy Joe was playing was against the cocaine dealer, Frosty, a man not too well known for being a gracious loser. When Harley first told him about it, he thought about sticking with the tournament, especially because it seemed the only way Billy Joe learned was by experience, but at the last minute, he couldn't do it. He disguised himself as a cop. He took a gun from Frosty and pretended to arrest Billy Joe. Harley was waiting in a boat, but they barely managed their escape.

After the harrowing escape, Will took Billy Joe on a fishing and hunting trip up at Aunt Belle's cabin. They discussed tournaments. A big one was coming up and Will wanted to enter and use the money to buy and restore the old pool hall he and Harley wanted. Billy Joe decided to give the tournaments another try much to Will's delight. They were slowly forming a bond.

He laughed when Billy Joe shot at a duck while they were still fishing. "Hey, would you shoot a little quieter?"

"I thought we were going to cast and blast?"

"Not at the same time," he said, still chuckling.

Billy Joe went to get their things out of the car while Will headed for the cabin.

He started reaching for the key's hiding place, but the door opened and Dee Dee came out.

"Hey, come on in," she said warmly. "I was just leaving. Key's on the table." She had come to the cabin alone to relax and take in all that was happening.

"I didn't know you came up here anymore."

"Well, yeah. Your Aunt Belle and I still get along," she said, shutting the screen door after them.

"You always come up here alone?" he asked her.

"Usually," she answered, as she finished packing her suitcase. "Why?"

"Well, they say if you get divorced the first time, you wind up getting married 3 times," he told as he put the coffee pot on.

"Well, I wonder why?"

"They say the second time is on the rebound and the third time is always closer to the mark. Where's the coffee?"

"In the cabinet," she told him as she went into the doorway of the kitchen. "Are you asking me if I bring other men up here, Will?" She was somewhat amused.

"No. I just noticed the 2 frosted over steaks in the freezer."

"Well, they're fresh. I've been looking for ya'll since yesterday afternoon, according to Aunt Belle."

"Well, sorry about that. We got held up down in state."

"Yeah, well," she replied, and he joined her in the doorway. "You know something? I walked way up the river there where we flipped that boat. You know on that big, old rock cause we got to kissing and we had to swim for it."

They laughed softly at the memory, and he asked, "You didn't see my old fishing boat up there, did you?" She didn't notice it, but his eyes were roaming up and down her in a very interested fashion.

"No, but I got to remembering how dear that thing was to you. How you hated to let go of it when you had to keep me from drowning when I was trying to make it to shore."

"Some choices are easy to make," he told her fondly. There was a moment and an energy between them and encouraged by it, he asked her, "Hey, Billy's going to be here in about an hour. You won't stay here for supper, would you?"

"Oh, I can't, Will. I got to work. I don't have anybody to take my place," she said, making a move for her suitcase.

She realized how close to affectionate they had become. They couldn't start this romance over. She was giving him all the wrong impressions. "By the way, Will, you know I didn't marry Frank on the rebound from you!"

"I know. I was just trying to make conversation."

"Well, you can pick some good topics. Love and divorce and me carrying a torch for you," she said angrily, picking up her suitcase and heading for the door. "Just tell Billy, I'm sorry I missed him."

sss

Over the next few days, Billy Joe practiced at the pool hall Will was trying to buy and Mary Beth was there too being a pleasurable distraction to him.

Beamer finally showed up with his car looking a lot worse for the wear thanks to Frosty, but he had the cash.

"Buy some summer clothes cause we're going to Houston," he told Mary Beth as she rushed out to do some shopping with the newly earned cash.

Billy Joe explained he wasn't going and that he was going to try another tournament.

"I handed you 4,000 dollars and you're going to kiss me off?" Beamer asked with disbelief.

"I'm going to try some gentleman's pool."

"Gentleman's pool? That's a tournament where the hustlers come out of the bushes and turn their collars around, so pigeons won't know they fly so fast."

Will had been listening and he spoke up, "What kind of mess you going to have in Houston? Another drug dealer?"

"You want to know about drugs, boy, you ask the almighty Baron about how he jarred Archie Harrington."

"Be careful, Beamer," he said going over to get in Beamer's face. "You don't know all the facts. "

"I know that Archie was about to win a 9-ball match 5,000 dollars when his royal highness messed with Archie's drink."

Will shoved Archie and sent him crashing down hard onto a table. Billy Joe and Harley both rushed over to hold Will back. "Are you trying to kill him?" Billy Joe asked with a shout.

"I never jarred anybody!" Will shouted at Beamer.

"You know what I'm talking about, kid," Beamer said, standing up and leaving.

sss

Dee Dee took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. She couldn't believe she was back here. The best thing to do was to forget that this place was where they'd spent their honeymoon together. She was doing this for her son, not Will.

Billy Joe answered the door. She hadn't seen him in months and she was overjoyed. "Son!" She cried, engulfing him in a hug, patting his back, and grasping his hands affectionately. Then she saw Sara, who said to Will, "Your guest has arrived."

"Hello, Sara," she said with genuine delight.

The two women hugged.

"So good to have you. I declare time has hardly laid a hand on you. You're just as trim and prim as ever."

She laughed knowing that wasn't a bit true. "I was just about to say the same about you."

"Well, prim anyway. I'm going to feed the other boarders in the kitchen and ya'll can have a family dinner at your own sweet leisure. Good to have you here."

"Thank you," Dee Dee told her.

Billy Joe took his mother's hand. He had invited her for two reasons. One because he was beginning to suspect his parents weren't completely over each other and two because he missed her, but he hadn't realized just how much he had missed her until now.

"You been here before?" Billy Joe asked.

"Yeah, but that was along time ago." She didn't want to touch on that subject if she could help it. "How long you been living here, Will?"

"6 years," he answered.

She saw how surprised Will looked at her being there. "Billy Joe didn't tell you I was coming?"

"Well, I thought it'd be a pleasant surprise," Billy Joe explained.

"And it is," Will said with a smile, wanting Dee Dee to know how happy he was to see her.

Billy Joe helped her off with her coat.

"You know I'm the one who could use a drink. You don't have a bottle squirreled away somewhere?" she asked. She still couldn't bring herself to believe his old ways were done and she wanted to catch him off guard, but she realized that wasn't too subtle. "I mean for company."

"No, sorry. You look great, Dee. Have a seat."

"Well, I don't know. I don't want to break one of these heirlooms that looks like it came over on the Robert E. Lee."

They laughed and took a seat in the living room except for Billy Joe who held onto a chair top nervously as he asked, "Were the two of you together when you were here before?"

"We was on our honeymoon," Dee Dee answered.

"I thought people were supposed to have fun on their honeymoon?"

"No," Will laughed. "Our car broke down. We were on our way to New Orleans."

"You know something?" Dee Dee said with a smile. "I swear, Will, I just can't believe you've changed this much."

Will nodded.

"And you, son. You look almost athletic. Have you beat your dad yet?"

"No, he won't play me anymore."

"He's trying to win my fancy shooting stick and his game is short."

"I can't tell who's hustling who," Dee Dee laughed.

They all laughed and then went to eat. Will took a seat at the head of the table and Dee Dee didn't miss that Billy Joe took the seat furthest from his dad, forcing her to sit between them, but she didn't argue about it.

Over dinner, Billy Joe told Dee Dee of their adventure with Frosty. "So we're up running for the boat behind Frosty's pool hall and I slip and fall in the river with the handcuffs still on behind my back."

"I had to fish around for him. I thought he was going to drown for sure," Will added.

"Where's Frosty and his gang?" Dee Dee asked.

"Chasing Beamer just like the Baron figured."

"How'd you figure that?" she asked.

"Aggravating desperation calls for bodacious inspiration."

"Didn't that Beamer used to back you some?" Dee Dee asked, knowing full well he had.

"For awhile till I found out he was giving me 20 percent of the side bets and calling it 50."

"How about that? We got the same backers. Small world." Billy Joe laughed.

"Yeah, too small," Will said.

"Hey listen, get your daddy to tell you about the freeze out. Remember that time the pool hall caught on fire. We couldn't get anybody out of there because nobody could get 10 games ahead. Who were you playing? Was that Archie Harrington?"

"No, I was playing Chuck Brown."

"You know I heard Archie got killed."

"Yeah, killed in a car wreck. It was bad."

"Aww," she said sympathetically.

"You clear something up for me. Something Beamer told Billy Joe about me."

"Ah, you mean when Archie got doped."

He nodded.

"That was 20 years ago. I was there."

"Did he just pass out in a middle of a game?"

"No, it was a proper jaw," Will explained. "It's usually amphetamines. They make you overconfident and you try impossible shots."

"Yeah, and he got jarred just in the nick of time," Dee Dee said.

"What do you mean?" Will asked, annoyance gathering in his voice.

"Well, you were losing it. That 5,000 bucks bailed you out of a world of hurt and—"

"I didn't jar Archie!"

"Well, you were pretty happy about all that money!"

"Which means I was in on it, huh?"

"Well, I didn't see you give the money back!"

"I was drunk. I didn't know what I was doing."

"That's the same old excuse."

"If there's one thing you enjoy, it's believing the very worst about me!" he shouted as he slammed his fist against the table.

Dee Dee stood and threw her napkin angrily down on the table.

Billy Joe had kept his head down and eyes closed with his hand pinching the bridge of his nose as if trying to ward off a headache during their argument, but now he tried to intervene, "Mom, come on we haven't had dessert yet."

"I'd say we've just about covered it. Dinner is over!""

To Will, he said, "She came in all the way from Memphis. This Archie Harrington thing isn't that important to me." Dee Dee had already gotten her coat and pocketbook.

"It is to her," Will said, pointing to her. "She came looking for my bottle, and I disappointed her!"

She hesitated. Maybe she was being too hard on him.

"You're heading in the right direction! Go on!" Will told her.

She was mad again. She was heading in the right direction she thought angrily. Close to Will was not a good place to be.

After she left, Billy Joe slammed the wall in anger. It wasn't how he'd planned for the dinner to go.

sss

The next day in the car, Will told Billy Joe, "I always look forward to this tournament. Good old Nashville, the soul of the whole south."

"The capital of southern sin, I hear," Billy Joe contradicted.

"If you mean ladies with a more liberal point of view, you're right. It's a faster track."

"0 to 70 in 2 beers."

"Yeah, I hope you realize we're down here to win not womanize."

"Girls never affected my game."

"You never played against this kind of competition. Women torque out your timing, son, shake your speed. The next morning your stroke is wiggling like cranberry jelly in July."

"Are you saying no women?"

"No, what I'm saying is if you want to win, have your fun afterwards."

"Is that why you left Mom? She torqued out your timing?" He said it with a laugh, but it was obvious he still harbored resentment toward Will for leaving his mother.

"No, I was usually right on my game with her around," he said with a smile that said he was recalling some fond memories.

"Well, I'm sorry about the other night. I should have let you know she was coming."

"That's alright," Will said softly. Then he got a wide smile, "Just means we were after the same thing."

Billy Joe let that comment sink in with unexplainable, inward joy. His father wanted his mom back. He had suspected it, but now he had confirmation.

They arrived at the hotel. They had breakfast with some of Will's old friends. Then it was time for the tournament.

Dee Dee came. She watched Billy Joe's games with motherly pride. She also couldn't keep herself from watching one of Will's. She felt bad about getting in a fight with him over the past. It was long gone and who was to say that he hadn't jarred Archie. She decided to have supper with them. She had spent a couple of hours playing with her appearance before she was satisfied and hoped it was worth it.

She walked up to Billy Joe, Will, and Harley and hugged Billy Joe. "Hey," she was laughing to hide some of her nervousness and because she was happy that her son was still in the tournament.

"I thought I heard you," Will said cheerfully. "When did you get here?"

"This morning," she replied. "I watched all of Billy Joe's matches and I watched one of yours and I'm going to see both of you tomorrow on the quarter finals."

"Yeah, I play Bert Manning and Dad has Dick Vance," Billy Joe stated matter of factly. Then he said to Harley hurriedly, "Why don't I buy you a beer?"

Harley didn't need a hint. He replied eagerly, "Yes, why don't you buy me a beer."

Will's eyes had never strayed from Dee Dee and Dee Dee's eyes had focused onto Will too, although her hand was clasped onto her other arm as if to serve as some sort of protection. Dee Dee let out another nervous laugh. Will put an arm around her as he led her toward the restaurant, which relaxed her somewhat.

"So you came to see Billy Joe play, huh?" he asked.

"Well, yeah and—and to apologize. I just realized how bad I was at dinner the other night."

"Aw, I went a little fast on the draw myself, but, Dee, there's something you got to know about me. I know who I am and what I am and I'm not what I was."

She smiled. He really was different if he could admit to that.

"Well listen, you're dead wrong about one thing, Will. I always did believe in you. Trouble was it's just too much got in the way back then."

He gave her an acknowledging nod. "How about some supper?" he asked with a smile.

She smiled and she felt her heartbeat get faster. "Alright," she said, returning his smile.

He asked her to dance and she said yes. As they danced closely, she knew it was happening again. She was falling in love with him all over and this time she didn't mind it so much. It felt right. He was different now.

Billy Joe watched his parents dancing with a smile. His matchmaking was starting to work. He wasn't sure why he wanted them together so much. Maybe every kid felt the need to have his parents together or maybe he just wanted to see them both happy and not alone. They moved in even closer and rested their heads against each other. Billy Joe left them. He felt intrusive watching such a sweet, intimate moment, and he was ready for bed.

sss

The next morning, Will barged into Billy Joe's room. "You got a match with her husband downstairs now."

"Husband?" said a disgruntled Billy Joe.

"You know that could be," said the unrepentant blonde woman. "He does play pool."

"Her husband is Bert Manning?" he asked, sounding a trifle whiny.

Will threw him into a cold shower. "Welcome to tournament pool, kid," said Will, unpleasant memories flashing though his mind and some of them with the woman in the bed.

"I thought you might get tired of this game," he said with folded arms.

"Never. I enjoy my work. Hey, don't you be too hard on him. He's a nice boy. Real nice," she said tauntingly.

Billy Joe and Will both lost a game, but they won some too.

Will was up in his room packing up to leave when Billy Joe came in. "Checking out?"

"You'd be wise not to say too much to me."

"I screwed up royally, I know."

"I didn't come to play wet nurse, probation officer, and tournament pool at the same time."

"Are you trying to say you would have beat Dixon Vance if I hadn't been here?"

"Best pool I played in years."

"Why'd you unscrew you stick before it was over with?"

"Don't bother me, kid. You're on your own."

"So what else is new? I've had more practice of that than anything else. Years of it."

"When I go to make a comeback you're not going to stand in my way."

"You got beat by a better player. Now you're going to walk just like you did on Mom. The great Baron is going to show me his back again. I made the quarter finals. You got me there. I was ready to win this whole thing for us."

Harley came into the room. "Will, it's probably not a good time, but I think we got trouble. Barney's found another buyer for the billiard hall." He left again as quickly as he came.

Will and Billy Joe both went with Harley to find out more.

sss

"How much are they offering for the pool hall, Barney?" Will asked.

"33,000. Played me like a fiddle."

"What do you mean?" Harley asked.

"They slipped a building inspector in. Now I have to sell."

"They're going to condemn this place?" Will asked.

"If it's not brought up to code," Barney said.

"Is this the table where Joe Shelby slept off of drunk?" Will asked Harley with a smile as he touched one of the tables.

"Yeah," Harley said. "This was my daddy's favorite table."

"Listen," Barney said. "There's a buyer up the street who's trying to buy. I need 15,000 to nail it down by next Monday. If you can come up with the same price it's yours."

"It's a reasonable price," Will said, looking at Harley.

"We need more than that, Will. We're talking 50,000 after that to fix the place. 5,000 just to keep them from dynamiting it."

"The Atlanta tournament's Thursday. It's about 25,000 for runner-ups and 50,000 for first. Go win yourself a pool hall," Billy Joe said.

"You got a fever, son. There'll be over a 100 great player at that tournament."

"You've only got to beat 95," Billy Joe said.

"It's a national 9-ball championship," Will continued to argue.

"Aggravating desperation calls for bodacious inspiration," Billy Joe said, throwing back Will's own words.

"I got 5,000 in cash," Will said to Barney.

"I can come up with 7,000," Harley said.

"Don't bother," Barney said. "15,000 now. The rest by next week."

"I've got 3,000," Billy Joe said, pulling out a wad of cash. "That makes 15,000."

"Looks like we're going to Atlanta," Will said.

sss

Dee Dee called Billy Joe up at the tournament after he had lost a game to the defending champ, but so far he was still in the tournament; he had tried to talk her into seeing the games in person, but she didn't feel quite right about it with Will there, as she didn't want to make it look like she was pursuing him. "Hi."

"Hey, Mom."

"Listen, I'm watching you on the cable. What are you guys trying to do? You trying to win that thing?" she teased him.

"Wait a minute. Hold on." Billy Joe held out the phone. "Did you hear that?" he asked, referring to the applause. "That was for the Baron. He just took another one. He's kicking tail." He motioned for Will to come to the phone and held the phone against his chest so she couldn't hear. "Try to talk Mom into coming down."

Will took the phone. "We could use your help, Dee." He meant it too.

Dee Dee smiled. "Well, I guess I just wanted to hear it from you."

"I always did a lot better with you swaying for me."

"You know I never heard Billy Joe so excited or so proud."

"When can you be here?" he asked her.

She smiled and felt a bit like a schoolgirl. He was eager to see her. "Tomorrow." She hadn't been sure at first that he felt the same way she did about spending time together. He was the one who had divorced her after all.

"Bye," he said. He hung the phone up looking forward to tomorrow.

sss

Will made it into the semifinals, but Billy Joe was out of the tournament, so he spent his time getting to know Mary Beth.

That night, Billy Joe found his father drunk in a bar. The pressure of the game must have finally got to him and broken his record of not touching alcohol.

"Looking for a game, boy?" Will asked. "Bartender, get the Cajun Kid a beer."

Billy held up a hand to say he didn't want it. "You made it through the semis."

"Thanks to our little friend here the rock of ages, the cue ball. The cue ball is your confidence and your fears and your age. I miscued on my last shot, but bless its heart," he said, kissing the cue ball in hand. "It still delivered." He started to laugh, "and that's what you were boy, a missed cue."

It wasn't a comment Billy Joe appreciated. It was true that they hadn't been planning a baby and had gotten one anyway, but God had intended to make the shot, and he knew his mother wouldn't have had it any other way. He knew that his dad was too drunk to know what he was saying or doing.

"And your poor mother," he laughed. "Bless her heart." He was thinking of how much Billy Joe had turned out like him despite having no influence in his life and her having to guide him through his teenage years alone.

"Who you playing in the finals?" Billy Joe asked.

That quickly brought a change in his mood. "Against Dixon Vance." He went back to his silly mood as he started to sing. "Deck the halls with boughs of holly." Then he became serious again. "I know why you came looking for me. You want to play me for my fancy shooting stick, so let's borrow a pool table."

"You know that's not why I'm here."

"Yes, it is. Let's find a pool table." Will got up and Billy Joe followed.

Will knocked into a man who was sitting down. "In America we walk on the right."

They left the bar, and Will pointed toward a building. "There's a nice bar."

"Let's go back to the hotel."

"First, we play, kid."

"You got a chance to win a billiard hall."

"What do I want with a billiard hall? What? I want people hanging on me?"

"You're looking for an excuse to lose."

"I'm looking for a reason to win. You think I need leeches draining my stroke. I been there."

"Get some sleep, okay?"

"Hey, I'll see you around Tennessee, alright?"

"Come on," he said, grabbing Will.

Will gave him a hard punch to the jaw and he fell on top some trash bags. Will called for a taxi to take him to the airport, leaving Billy Joe on the sidewalk.

sss

The next morning Billy Joe woke up to find Will in their shared suite. "Well, I declare," he said happily. He returned the favor his dad had shown him at the last tournament by throwing him in the shower.

Will grumbled. "6 years sober and I blew it, and my hands have turned to windchimes. "

"Sounds like pretournament jitters to me."

"Where's the hot water?" Will complained.

"You know I can't play wet nurse, probation officer and play pool at the same time."

He got a wet towel thrown at him.

sss

Dee Dee fixed her hair up, took the time to choose the right dress, and was careful with her makeup. She wanted to look her best. She wanted to possibly start a relationship again, but she was still very nervous about it. She still wasn't completely sure Will wanted to do it.

Harley met her in the lobby. "He should be down any minute." They walked toward the elevator. When he came towards them, she could tell it right away. Will had a hangover. He'd been drinking last night. He knew she knew it. No one could recognize it in him like she could.

"Mom, you made it."

"I wouldn't have missed it for anything," she said with a smile.

"I got to go warm up," he said and walked away, trying to avoid her.

Dee Dee didn't let it stop her from going to the game and rooting for him. Even the most righteous fell occasionally. Billy Joe sat between his mother and Mary Beth. The game was very close, but Will won. Vance had become overconfident.

Dee Dee was happy for him. She went over with Billy Joe and Harley. They gave each other an affectionate hug.

sss

Will knew Vance had been doped, and he didn't know what to do with the information. He didn't want to be suspected of anything. He went back to his hotel room to think. After a few minutes of pacing and thinking, the phone rang. It was Dee Dee calling to ask if he was sick.

"No, I just need a few minutes alone, but I am glad you're here, especially now. I'll be down in a few minutes. Bye."

Even in his heavy concern, it made him happy that she was worried about him. That meant she cared, and it was nice to have her caring about him again.

He opened the door to leave only to find Beamer there. "Congratulations, champ. You found the ultimate pill. Hardly anybody knew what happened."

"Be careful, Beamer."

"You going to tell me that Dixon Vance wasn't jarred? The tournament committee isn't familiar with Dixon's style but you know and I know that he would never try those shots."

"Get out of here, Beamer."

"Yeah, why not? There's nothing more to say. My associates will settle the score."

Vance and another guy came around the corner and started beating on him. It was lucky that they left the door open as Billy Joe came to his rescue.

"He had it coming, kid, for what he done," Vance said before they left.

"You came just at the right time, son. They were going to break my thumbs. Got in a couple of licks, but they could have left sooner," Will said as he went into the bathroom to wash his face off.

"You jarred, Dixon," Billy Joe said with no doubt in his voice. "That's why they did this."

"I didn't have to. I was in the zone," he told him.

"I was hoping it was booze making him shoot wild, but it was dope."

"Hey, I didn't—"

"You righteous phony. Your act just went into the toilet and so did your gentlemen's pool. You know if hustling is stealing, you got away with grand theft."

Billy Joe was mad and Will was already condemned in his eyes. Dee Dee had come into the room and heard the last bit, "But Billy Joe, you might not know all the—"

"I know all the facts. I know he jarred Vance," he said, walking off, not wanting to hear anymore.

Dee Dee looked questioningly at Will, not wanting to believe it. He couldn't be completely falling into his old ways again, but she had to know. She could usually tell if he was lying. Will answered her unspoken question, "I didn't dope Vance. You believe that, don't you?"

She could honestly say she did. "Yeah."

"I want to go downstairs and report it. I don't want the money if it's dishonest."

She rubbed his arm comfortingly. "I'm behind you 100 percent."

sss

Billy Joe went off with Beamer and Mary Beth. Beamer was explaining what all he had lined up for them in the car. "Why in a few months you can buy that billiard parlor for your daddy."

"You are kidding. I hope that place burns to the ground."

"Hey, you don't want to talk that way," Mary Beth admonished.

"Why?"

"Hating your dad ain't healthy. It's double-edged, cuts both ways. Take it from one who's done some cutting."

"I thought you and your dad got along."

"Yeah, before he went into the joint."

"He was just there a few years you said."

"Six. He got paroled and we had a coming out party. Balloons, banners, cake, whole family, all 7 of us. Yeah, just seeing all the people who loved him and needed him gave Dad a crying fit. He bawled for a half hour all of us hugging him. Then he put us all to bed, went out, and tried to rob a liquor store. Got put away again."

They stopped at a filling station and while Beamer went in Mary Beth continued. "I got news for you, kid. I love you." Then she proved it by opening Beamer's briefcase.

"I don't get it," he said.

"Our friend Beamer put all his money on the Baron."

sss

Will paced and Dee Dee waited with a hand on her hip while they waited for results.

Harley came in.

"Vance, still in the hospital?" asked the chairman.

"No, I brought him back. He's back in his room taking a rest. They drew every fluid he owns."

"When we going to know something?" Will asked.

"It won't take long. The hospital has this number."

"I'll tell you what I think about this, Will," said the chairman. "Nobody else asked for a blood test. For all we know, it was his drinking and that's Vance and the way you were playing I'd have probably had a few drinks myself."

"He was doped," Will insisted.

The phone rang.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Will. He—" Dee Dee began, but she stopped to hear the results.

"No sign of any mind-altering drugs," he said after hanging up the phone. "Except a trace of alcohol and slightly high blood sugar."

"That's from all those Christmas carols he's been singing," Dee Dee joked.

"Alright, Will go buy your billiard hall," he said, handing him back the check.

Will tore it up. "I beat him once. I'll beat him again."

"Oh, come on, Will," said the chairman. "What kind of pill could get past 42 different lab tests?"

Billy Joe came in with the answer, Mary Beth with him. "It's a heavy dose of pure adrenaline that your body makes. Beamer put it in Vance's drink."

"I guess that's why it didn't turn up in the test," the chairman said.

"How you know it was Beamer?" Will asked.

"I was with him when he brought the pills in Houston," Mary Beth said.

"And Beamer bet on me," Will said as the puzzle pieces finally began fitting together.

"Made a bundle," Billy Joe said.

"He knew a jar job on Vance would put Billy back at his table." Mary Beth said.

"So where do you stand?" Will asked his son.

Billy Joe answered with a hug. "Come on chalk your cue, Baron," he said going over to the pool table. "Let's play some 8-ball.

They all headed for the pool table. It looked like Will and Billy Joe were finally going to play that game to win the fancy shooting stick and ring.

Billy Joe rolled his mother's wedding ring to Will. However, Will purposely made a bad shot. He took the ring and placed it in Dee Dee's hand, closing his hands over hers with a loving smile. The ring was a promise that had been renewed. They knew without saying a word that they both wanted to give their relationship another go. Then he gave Billy Joe the pool stick, another sign of a newly begun relationship, one between father and son.


	3. Epilogue

Will played another game with Vance and won again, this time without the drugs, so he brought the pool hall. With a lot of hard work, Will had the pool hall up and running in less than a month,

When Dee Dee closed her diner on Will's first day of opening, she went over to the pool hall. He'd been so busy that they hadn't had much time to spend together, not that she hadn't helped with some things like sweeping and polishing when she wasn't at the diner, but it was hardly quality time.

Will was behind the bar serving drinks. She went up and sat down at one of the stools. "What do you recommend, bartender?" she asked with twinkling eyes.

"I recommend the fruit punch, ma'am," he smiled, setting it down in front of her.

"How's business?" she asked, getting serious.

"Well, some customers get angry that we don't serve alcohol. Others like it and are saying they're going to stick to this place. Things are good and it feels right."

She patted his hand affectionately, "I'm glad."

He cleared his throat, "Dee…"

"Yes?"

"Dee, I…Well, maybe we can…"

"Are you trying to ask me out?" she asked with a laugh.

"Yes," he sighed with relief.

"I never knew shyness with women was one of you traits," she said, not finished with the teasing.

"Just with you—I mean—"

"I know what you mean," she assured him, "and I find it very sweet and flattering. Go out where?"

"This may not sound the most romantic, but why don't we go to church together Sunday?"

Her eyes were shining, "I think that sounds wonderful." For their entire marriage, she had wanted him to come to church with her, prayed for it, and now he would. She couldn't think of a better first date to start off their new relationship.

sss

He put his arm across the back of the pew so that his arm rested against Dee Dee's shoulders. It filled her with a warmth and excitement. It might have been ridiculous, but she had always envied the other women whose husbands did that; she thought it was such a protective, loving gesture. Frank had never had much of an opportunity to do so during a church service because Billy Joe was such an active child that he had ended up sitting between them most of the time, so he could get the benefit of reprimands from the both of them.

All during the service, they kept glancing over and smiling at each other. It wasn't that they weren't listening to the sermon, but they were both so happy to be attending church together.

Neither one of them opened their businesses on Sundays, so they went on a picnic after church. They laughed and talked about anything and everything. They shared some stories from their in-between years. Dee Dee mentioned that she wanted to see a new movie, so after the picnic, they went to the movies.

They held hands during the whole movie. They kept looking at each other and couldn't recall much of the movie when it was over.

He walked her to her door. They stood there staring at each other for what seemed like the longest time.

At last she asked, "Are you ever going to kiss me, Will?"

"It's not that I don't want to, Dee. Believe me, but I guess I'm still a little afraid that this isn't real yet and that maybe I shouldn't be trying to rush things."

She slipped her arms around his waist. "It's real, Will, and I appreciate that you're taking it slowly."

"I'm taking it slowly for you, Dee," he told her softly. He took her left hand and gently touched where the ring was, "but I do want to marry you. I just want you to see that I really am different."

"I know you are," she said, resting her hands on the sides of his face. Then she pulled him down to her, and they kissed for the first time in years. It started as a tender, sweet kiss full of promises and hope and slowly built in passion as if trying to make up for all the lost years in one kiss.

"You wouldn't want to stay for awhile, would you?" she asked when they finally pulled apart.

Will pretended to be scandalized. "I'm surprised at you, Dee Dee Stanley. What would Aunt Belle say if she knew you were trying to pull her darling nephew off the straight and narrow and on a Sunday too?"

She smiled at his teasing. "I'm still not that kind of girl after all these years, so I believe your virtue is safe. I meant for coffee and you know it."

"Sounds wonderful, Dee, but the truth is I wouldn't want to leave after coffee anymore than I do now. I'll take a rain check though."

"Good night then."

"Good night."

She stood at the doorway, watching until he got in the car and drove off.

sss

A few days later, Will and Dee Dee were having supper with Billy Joe and Mary Beth.

"So have you two gotten to know each other again yet?" Billy Joe asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows that left no doubt what he was asking.

Will and Dee Dee both seemed too stunned at first to answer.

Mary Beth was the first to speak, "That's not something you're supposed to ask your parents, Billy."

"You're not too old for me to turn you across my knee, Billy Joe Stanley," Dee Dee warned, finding her voice at last.

"What? We're all adults here," Billy Joe said. Although the way his mom was looking at him with the famous motherly glare that all mothers seemed to know, it made him feel more like 8 than 18. He wondered where he had gotten the impression that his parents hadn't been married just because she hadn't specifically mentioned a wedding. His mom was as straitlaced and puritanical as they came and although she was only human, he couldn't see her getting pregnant before she got married.

"It's not about being adults," Will said. "It was disrespectful of you to ask, but the answer is no. We're not going to jeopardize the rebuilding of a solid relationship by being together before we get married."

"What's the big deal if you get together before you have some kind of a wedding ceremony?" Billy Joe argued. "You two were married before."

"The big deal is we're not married now," Dee Dee told him. "You know it goes against the Bible to be together with somebody before then. Don't pretend to forget what I know I taught you growing up."

Will gave a nod. "It's a lesson I was long in learning, son, but it was one I've learned well. If you're not ready for a lifetime of commitment, you're not ready for anything else. Nothing is as sweet as being with your spouse, I promise you. If you really truly love someone, it's worth any waiting you have to do, and if the person couldn't wait until you tied the knot, why they didn't love you enough anyway. God ain't going to give you a rule that's not for your benefit in the long run."

It was Billy Joe's turn to get embarrassed. He gave a quick glance in Mary Beth's direction whose cheeks were red too.

"Sound advice," he said at last, "Dad."

Will's face glowed with happiness. It was the first time Billy Joe had ever called him that. Dee Dee looked pleased too, and she gave Will's hand a squeeze under the table.

sss

Will and Dee Dee went to Aunt Belle's for a visit together, and it was the first time Will had seen her face to face since finding out about Billy Joe.

After the customary hugs and greetings, Aunt Belle stood back looking at the couple, looking as pleased as punch as she said, "I declare you two make the handsomest couple I ever did see. I just know things are going to work out for you this time."

"I just don't know why you never told me about Billy Joe," Will grumbled to his aunt. "We might have gotten back together a lot sooner."

"For one thing, it's not my business to go poking my nose in your affairs. Dee Dee didn't want to tell you, and it was her news to tell, not mine. I also believe in the Lord's timing. Looking back, when they first moved back to Tennessee, you weren't ready, Will. You still weren't living right. Then when you were, you were a new Christian, and I think the information could have shaken your newfound faith. No, you found Billy Joe just when the good Lord intended. You were strong enough to set him off his wayward path, you knew how to forgive easier, and Dee Dee could see that you had really changed. She could see the change was not temporary either because you'd spent years without the bottle and with God. Things have worked out amazingly well it appears. In a way that only God could arrange."

"All things work for good to them that love the Lord," Will recited, seeming less disgruntled.

"Even the not so agreeable things," Dee Dee added.

"Amen," Aunt Belle said, "and if you two will follow me to the kitchen, I'll give you one of the more agreeable things: lemon meringue pie."

Will and Dee Dee both chuckled before following her into the kitchen.

sss

Billy Joe and Mary Beth were coming over to go out to dinner with them. Will had arrived early to the house, and they were waiting together on the couch.

Dee Dee could feel Will staring at her while she watched the door, and a smile crept across her face. "Ain't you got nothing better to look at? The least you could do is make some conversation."

"I don't have nothing better to look at, but if you want some conversation, I'll give it to you." He pulled her into his arms and said passionately, "We've been dating for over a month, Dee, and I don't want to wait anymore. I want you as my wife again. Let's set a date."

"Well, why don't we get married on our original anniversary? It'd make it easy to remember."

"That's 6 months away; that's too long, and besides, it would be much more fun to have two anniversaries to celebrate."

"I can't argue with that. How about next month? That should be plenty of time for people to clear their schedule and make preparations."

"Okay. How about the 11th? That's a Saturday, isn't it?"

"The 11th it is," she said with a smile.

Still holding her close, he ran his fingers through her long hair. "Have I mentioned that I like how you grew your hair out? It's stunning."

"You're going to get it all mussed up," she said with a quiet laugh to show that she wasn't that serious about it.

"I can't help it. It ought to be a crime for a woman to look this good. You're driving me mad with desire." He proved his words by starting a line of kisses on her cheek, following the imaginary trail down to her neck.

"Will," she said with genuine protest in her voice this time, although the look on her face and the way her arms enfolded him said she was enjoying it as much as he was. "Billy Joe and Mary Beth are going to here any minute, and Billy Joe has a key. What are they going to think if they catch us like this?"

"That they don't have the monopoly on love and passion," he said, drawing up to look at her with a devilish grin.

She smiled back, and he went for her lips this time. She willingly returned the kiss and even helped him out of his jacket because she didn't want it impeding their embrace.

Their kissing grew in fervor. His hand began to travel up her leg and he took the hemline of her dress with it, an action that brought her momentarily out of the spell that had been cast, and she pulled out of the kiss. "Will, we have to stop this before we get carried away," she said, sounding breathless and reluctant but firm.

He moved his offending hand back around her waist, but it turned out they didn't need the verbal warning because a knock on the door put a stop to it instead. Dee Dee jumped up and away from him like a teenager whose parents had just come home, causing Will to laugh.

"Not a word out of you, Will Addington," she said sternly, "and put your jacket back on."

He laughingly obeyed while she straightened her dress and hair the best she could without a mirror before going to the door.

Dee Dee hugged the young couple as they came through the door. "Give me a second to grab my keys, and we'll all go in my car."

The untidy hair and wrinkles in her dress were not lost on Billy Joe, as his mother's clothes always seemed perfectly ironed and her hair perfectly in place. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" Billy Joe asked, trying to hold back a smile, so he wouldn't get another lecture.

"You most certainly did not," Dee Dee said.

"You most certainly did," Will contradicted with a smile, making Dee Dee cast a glare his way. Will ignored it and continued, "I just proposed. Your mother and I are getting married on the 11th."

He looked at his mother. "Is that true, Mom?"

Dee Dee finally broke into a smile of her own. "It's true."

Billy Joe and Mary Beth gave hugs of congratulations to Will and Dee Dee though the news was hardly a shock to them.

"Will you walk me down the aisle?" Dee Dee asked Billy Joe when the hugs stopped.

"There's nothing I'd like better," he answered, a grin on his face as he watched his dad slip an arm around his mom's waist.

sss

Are you nervous?" Billy Joe asked as he took his mom's arm. They would be walking through the door into the sanctuary any moment.

She reached over and patted his hand. "I'm not. Well, maybe in an excited kind of way but not a fearful for the future kind of way."

"Were you nervous at your first wedding?"

"It happened so fast I don't know if I had time to be nervous. Our wedding night made me more nervous than the wedding, I think."

"If he ever gives you any trouble, you let me know," he said suddenly. "I'll knock some sense into him and take you to live with me to boot."

She laughed. "Taking your role of temporary father a little seriously, aren't you?"

"I mean it, Mom," he said with a serious expression.

"I know you do, son," she said with a fond look, "and I appreciate it."

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you more," she said, playing an old game from Billy Joe's childhood of who loved who more.

"I love you more," he argued back with a grin.

The bridal march began to play. "I guess that's our cue," she said.

It was a genuine church wedding with all the trimmings unlike their last one, and the pews were filled with friends who made oohs and ahs of her in her long, pale blue wedding dress. Aunt Belle could be seen holding a handkerchief to her eyes as she cried happy tears.

When they reached the front of the church, a look passed between father and son before Billy Joe took his seat. It was a look that warned his father that he'd better take good care of his mother and an answering look from Will that said he would spend the rest of his life taking care of this woman they both loved.

The minister began, "Dearly beloved, we're gathered together here in the sight of God to join this man and this woman together in holy matrimony." Looking to Will, he said, "William Joseph Addington, do you take Dee Dee Stanley for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live? To have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health till death do you part?"

"I do," he said, looking at Dee Dee with love and devotion, willing her to know just how much he meant it this time around.

"Dee Dee Stanley, do you take William Joseph Addington for your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live? To have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health till death do you part?"

"I do," Dee Dee said with equal love and devotion and an unhesitating confidence that showed how much she trusted him.

Will took the wedding ring from Harley, the same one he had given her originally.

The minister said, "May this ring be blessed so he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end."

Will slipped it onto Dee Dee's finger. "With this ring I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment."

Dee Dee took the ring she had given to Will on their first wedding in her hand, and the minister said, "May this ring be blessed so that she who gives it and he who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end."

Dee Dee slipped the ring onto Will's finger. "With this ring I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

After a short, sweet kiss, they turned to face the pews, and Billy Joe saw the love, the happiness, and the determination shining from his parents' eyes, spreading across their faces, and he knew that this time they really would be together forever.

sss

The reception was festive. Their family and friends were almost as joyous about the celebration as they were. Will and Dee Dee playfully shoved the cake in each other's face and then kissed the icing off causing hooping and hollering from the laughing crowd.

They got in the taxi that was taking them to the airport after the reception, the well wishers waving and smiling and shouting funny or sweet comments as they piled in.

They hadn't gone very far from the church when an awful, clanky noise started up.

"Oh, no. Please tell me you didn't hear that," Dee Dee said to Will. "If the car breaks down this time, I think I might just cry or go ballistic. I don't know which."

He gave her a reassuring hug. "I'm sure it's nothing." He looked at the driver, who seemed oddly amused. "Can we stop the car and have a look?"

The driver pulled off the side of the road, and Will got out to check. His first thought had been that the wedding party might have tied the traditional tin cans onto the back of the car, but a quick peek at the back of the car proved that theory wrong. Dee Dee got out too and watched as Will popped the hood.

"I don't see anything immediately wrong with it. They usually keep these vehicles running in good shape. I don't get it. You know it almost sounded like the noise was coming from the trunk, which doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? Unless you brought a suit of armor instead of lingerie with you. What exactly did you pack?" Will asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she teased. Then her eyes suddenly widened as if an idea had just occurred to her. She went to the trunk and opened it. Will had followed, and they both started to laugh. The tin cans had been placed inside the trunk.

The driver's eyes were twinkling when they got back in. "When they told me about your first honeymoon and the car trouble you'd had, I couldn't help but go along with the prank. I hope it didn't worry ya'll too much."

Will and Dee Dee smiled at him in response to show there were no hard feelings, and he pulled back onto the road.

"This has Billy Joe's name written all over it," she said with a laughing shake of her head.

"It was good," he said with a chuckle.

They made it to the airport and then made it to New Orleans just as it was beginning to get dark. They had 2 whole weeks in New Orleans as Harley was going to watch the pool hall and Mary Beth and Billy Joe had graciously agreed to keep the diner running during that time.

Will wasted no time in pulling Dee Dee flush against him when the door to their suite was closed, the thought of this moment having kept him going through the long plane ride.

"I thought you mentioned something about wanting to see some lingerie?" she teased though her voice sounded none too steady in this position.

"Forget the lingerie," he said before swooping in to kiss her hard on the mouth, beads of sweat from the southern heat making the hungry kiss salty but sweet. Pulling up for air, he said, "It's too hot for that anyway, but I will help cool you off, Mrs. Addington, by helping you take off your clothes."

"Aren't you the polite one, Mr. Addington," Dee Dee said as her hands moved to the zipper on his pants. "I'll be sure to return the favor."

There was no more need for words as the couple reacquainted themselves with each other's bodies, and the sound of a jazz band playing on the streets serenaded them.

sss

The early morning light was beginning to filter in, but it was still plenty dark. Will and Dee Dee were both still awake just enjoying being in each other's arms.

He stroked her hair lovingly while she rested her head on his chest. His content, happy expression suddenly changed to a look of anxiousness.

"Did you love Frank?" Will asked. It was a question that had been nagging at him for a long time and a question that he only had the courage to ask her in the safety of their bed.

"I did love Frank," she assented, not willing to lie to him even to avoid spoiling the moment. "It didn't have an instant, fiery start like ours, but it was real all the same. It was a sweet, safe love that grew out of mutual respect, and I still miss him sometimes."

He gave a trembling sigh, and she kissed his shoulder tenderly before continuing, "But if you think I had an easy time getting over you, I didn't. I buried the love and forgot about it because it was the only way I knew to move on. When I saw you again, I knew it was still there, and it scared me. That's partly why I fought so hard with you until I realized your change was genuine, and I didn't think it was possible, but I've fallen even harder for you now. I'm not just carrying a torch for you; it's a wildfire, and the flames aren't ever going to go out."

He laid a kiss on her forehead. "You do know leaving you was the hardest thing I ever did. The selfish part of me wanted to stay, but I knew I never wanted to hurt you again. I never got over you, not even for a minute, and I was never with anyone in our years apart. You were too firmly stamped in my heart."

A tear trickled down her face. "I was never really sure why you left."

"None of that," he said, kissing the tear away. "It hurts a man's ego to see his wife crying on their wedding night."

She laughed in response, and he playfully threw the cover over their heads as they proved their love for each other again in more than words.

sss

"You're a beautiful bride, but more than that, you have a beautiful soul. I'm so glad Billy Joe has chosen you for his wife," Dee Dee told Mary Beth in the dressing room, as she helped her hook on her necklace.

"Thank you for always being so kind to me. I know I might not have always been the best influence on Billy Joe."

"We all mess up sooner or later. It comes with being human. The important thing is you're getting your life right again."

"I just want you to know we both took yours and Mr. Addington's words to heart about waiting, and well, Billy Joe hasn't abandoned your teaching as much as you might think. He's already talking about how we need to start going to church. He believes in God and the Bible; he just lost his way for a while like I did. We both see what you and Mr. Addington have in each other and in God, and we want what you have."

Giving her soon to be daughter-in-law a hug, she said, "You couldn't have given me more joyful news. That's what a Christian parent worries most about their child, whether they'll find their way to salvation."

Mary Beth nodded. "You did a wonderful job raising him. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Mary Beth's mother came into the room in that moment and gushed over her daughter's wedding dress. Dee Dee with a smile and a wave left to give mother and daughter some time together.

Will walked Mary Beth down the aisle, since her dad was still in prison. Their vows and love were just as evident as Will and Dee Dee's had been. Billy Joe had had a unique ring made for his bride to continue in the tradition.

sss

A couple of months after Billy Joe and Mary Beth's wedding, they invited Will and Dee Dee over to their apartment.

"We didn't just invite you over to eat this time," Billy Joe said after dinner. "We have a surprise for you."

"We're going to have a baby," Mary Beth finished.

Dee Dee and Will both gave cries of joy, but Will might have been the happiest of them all. He and Dee Dee were too old to have any more kids together, but the baby would be a part of them that he would get to watch grow up and shower with love and affection.

sss

"How long do these things normally take?" Will grumbled as he and Dee Dee sat in the hospital waiting room. They'd been there a long time already. He was impatient to meet his new grandchild and wished they allowed grandparents in the delivery room.

"It depends on the woman," Dee Dee answered. "It can be long or short. I hear the first ones are almost always long, but I can't say for sure."

"How long was yours?" he asked, turning a curious eye towards her.

"Oh, it was so long. I was in labor 26 hours," she said with a grin. "Before it was over, I was ready to put a pair of pliers in there and pull him into the world. He was a stubborn kid from day one."

"I wish I could have been there with you," he said, reaching over and taking her hand.

"There's no sense in grieving over the past and what can't be changed. There's only the future to look to, and it's a bright one at that. We'll be holding a sweet newborn baby before you know it."

He nodded in agreement and then folded his hands together in a nervous gesture.

Dee Dee pulled a magazine off the end table on her other side and looked through some of the articles, but she couldn't help but notice Will twiddling his thumbs and wringing his hands all the while he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

She chuckled as she took another magazine and put it into his lap. "Here, read about something to take your mind off it. You're going to wear a hole in the seat of your britches if you keep moving around like that."

He picked up the magazine and flipped through it, but it was easy to see his heart wasn't into it.

It wasn't too much longer before a nurse finally came over to them. "Mr. and Mrs. Addington? They're ready to see you now."

"Good thing too. If we were here any longer, I think I would've had to have you committed," Dee Dee teased as they followed the nurse to the room.

"Don't tell me you aren't just as eager to see our grandbaby as me. It's just some folks are better at hiding it."

She smiled in a way that said she couldn't deny it.

When they went through the door, Mary Beth was laying on the bed looking exhausted but happy, and Billy Joe was holding the baby in his arms.

Billy Joe smiled when he saw them. "Grandma, Grandpa, say hello to your new grandson. Joseph Addington Stanley or Joey for short."

Dee Dee was the first to take him. "He's so beautiful. The second most beautiful baby I've ever seen," she said with a wink at Billy Joe. She walked him over to Will and let him take the baby. "Well, what do you think, Grandpa?"

As the baron held the baby in his arms, he knew he was instantly smitten, and he prayed a prayer of thanks to God for letting him have this second chance with his family. He looked so much like Dee Dee and Billy Joe with just a hint of him and Mary Beth thrown in for good measure. He would be the best part of all of them and have no lack of love or role models in his life. "With the genes coursing through this kid, he'll be holding a pool stick before he can walk."

They all laughed.

sss

"Grandpa, what happened to the princess and the baron then?" asked the little boy with big blue eyes and curly blonde hair, bringing Will out of his memories and back to the present.

Will had been telling him the story in a coded, fairy tale version to make it fit for the ears of a three year old. He looked toward the doorway. Dee Dee had been standing there listening to the story. She walked into the bedroom.

"Like every good story, they lived happily ever after," she said, tucking Joey in.

"It's not that the princess and baron never have problems anymore," Will told him, "but they both work very hard at making that happily ever after with the good Lord leading the way and so they succeed."

The End


End file.
